Driver in fatal hit-and-run flees to Honduras

OBERLIN — A suspect in a fatal hit-and-run that killed an Oberlin man last month has fled the country, according to Police Chief Grady Haynes.

Efrain Castellanos, 40, is facing charges of operating a vehicle without a lawful presence in the U.S., obstruction of justice, driver must be licensed and no insurance.

Authorities believe Castellanos is in Honduras and are working with the FBI on his capture and extradition back to the United States, Haynes said Thursday.

Castellanos is wanted in connection with the Sept. 8 fatal hit-and-run of 66-yearold Calvin Joseph Reed.

Reed died after being struck by a vehicle on U.S. 165 just north of the Valero gas station.

The Oberlin Police Department received a tip on Sept. 13 that linked a suspected vehicle to the crime and led investigators to the Baton Rouge area where two men were taken in for questioning about the accident, Haynes said.

One man was cleared of any involvement. The other man identified Castellanos as the driver of the vehicle and told investigations he had taken Castellanos to the airport in New Orleans.

Additionally, video footage from the nearby Valero’s gas station showed a blue suburban at the station as Reed passed just moments before the accident, Haynes said.

The vehicle matched the one mentioned from the tip that led investigators to Baton Rouge, he said.

The Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Homicide Division and FBI are assisting in the investigation.

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Wanted: Efrain Castellanos

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