This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A woman charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run involving a pedestrian last year in Midvale has been sentenced to prison.
Mika Lindquist, 31, of West Jordan, was charged with failure to remain at an accident involving a death, a third-degree felony, as well as theft pursuant to a rental agreement, a second-degree felony, and obstructing justice, a third-degree felony.
In July, she pleaded guilty to the failure-to-remain count and to a reduced class A misdemeanor count of theft pursuant to a rental agreement. The obstructing justice count was dismissed.
Lindquist also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug possession charge from an unrelated case involving methamphetmine, court documents show.
On Friday, 3rd District Judge Katie Bernards-Goodman ordered all three convictions to run concurrently and sent Lindquist to prison for up to five years.
On Sept. 24, 2015, Lindquist fled after hitting and fatally injuring 56-year-old Ronald Renfro as he crossed 7200 South near 35 West in Midvale, according to charging documents.
After Lindquist was arrested in October, she told police that the sun was in her eyes and that she felt her car hit something, charges state.
"She stopped and got out of her car and looked back to see a group of people around what she hit and realized it was a person she had hit," charges state. "Knowing she had hit a person, Lindquist got back into her car and left the scene."
Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Sandi Johnson said Friday that prosecutors were unable to prove Lindquist was at fault for hitting Renfro, who, according to a number of witnesses, had been standing on the center median before suddenly running into the roadway in front of her car.
Two days after the crash, witnesses told police that they saw Lindquist park the car and that the plate number had been changed, the charges add.
Officers determined the car was a rental. An employee of the rental business told police that Lindquist rented the car on Sept. 6 and was supposed to return it on Sept. 8. She allegedly called the company on Sept. 11 and said that the car had been taken from her.