25-year-old Ryan Joshua Pruitt of Lindale, Texas, who was indicted for a hit-and-run death involving a woman on a scooter in 2022, pleaded guilty on Monday.
Pruitt faced charges of accident involving death and tampering with evidence following the hit-and-run incident with Esperanza Hope Guillen, 37, of Lindale. According to a DPS crash report, Guillen was thrown onto the hood of Pruitt’s car when he veered onto the wrong side of the road around a slight left curve. Pruitt fled the scene before a trooper arrived, but his car was later found in a wooded area. Grand jury indictments alleged that Pruitt and his co-defendant, Kerissa Valenzuela, 28, of Lindale, destroyed and concealed evidence, including a license plate, clothing, and blood.
Pruitt entered an open plea in Judge Debby Gunter’s court on Monday, without a pre-set plea agreement, according to District Attorney Jacob Putman. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 28.
