Arroyo Grande man charged in fatal hit-and-run

Charges have been filed against an Arroyo Grande man accused of fleeing after, officials say, he struck and killed a woman and injured her companion Saturday as the two were walking in a Grover Beach crosswalk.

On Wednesday, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed a felony charge of hit-and-run and a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter against Zachary David Diaz, 20, for the crash that killed Juli Ann Conn, 59, and injured Steven Lee Stapleton, 54.

Stapleton was taken to a local hospital’s intensive care unit. His condition was not immediately known Thursday.

If convicted, Diaz faces a maximum of three years in San Luis Obispo County Jail for the hit-and-run charge and up to a year in jail for manslaughter, Assistant District Attorney Lee Cunningham said Thursday.

Conn and Stapleton were struck about 9:55 p.m. Saturday as they walked across the intersection of Grand Avenue and Seventh Street.

Diaz is accused of fleeing after the crash, but police identified him after being contacted by people with information about the crash, according to the Grover Beach Police Department.

As of Thursday, he was no longer in custody at the County Jail and is due to be arraigned in court Sept. 12.

This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Arroyo Grande man charged in fatal hit-and-run."