The Rockford, Illinois woman, charged in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 17-year-old, was transferred to Rock Island County to face those charges.
Emilio Perez, 17, died of injuries he suffered when he was struck by a vehicle as he walked along Interstate 88 near the Joslin exit in March 2014. He was walking along the road after his car ran out of gas. The vehicle that struck him left the scene.
A side mirror found near the crash scene was believed to be from the vehicle that struck Perez. After nearly six months of investigating, police said a Crime Stoppers tip helped them find a vehicle in Rockford that matched evidence from the scene of the crash. That discovery led to an arrest.
Maria E. Romero, 41, was arrested September 2, 2014 in Rockford. She was charged in Rock Island County with leaving the scene of an accident involving death and failure to report an accident causing death.
Romero was initially held in the Winnebago County Jail, and later transferred to the Rock Island County Jail. She was expected to be arraigned in Rock Island County Court at 1 p.m. Thursday, September 4, 2014.