Police Looking for Driver in Crash that Killed Penhook Man

Virginia State Police Senior Trooper D.H. Cepelnick is investigating a motor vehicle crash which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred Sunday (Jan 26) at 7:00 p.m. on Route 834, one tenth of a mile north of Route 670 in Franklin County.

A 2000 Jeep Cherokee was traveling south on Route 834, when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree.

The driver of the Jeep fled the scene and was not been located at the time of the crash. There were several other passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash, and they have been questioned as to the identity of the driver.

Troopers are following up on the leads to identify the driver of the vehicle.
The front seat passenger was identified as Yancy Caleb Velazquez, 20, of Penhook, Va. Mr. Velazquez was not wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.