A man who fled Des Moines, Iowa after allegedly fatally striking a 71-year-old woman, who was the house mom of a sorority at Drake University, was arrested in Zion, police said.
Isaias Flores-Morales, 41, of the 3200 block of Mondamin Ave, Des Moines, IA, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, escape from custody, 1st degree harassment, driving without a driver’s license and driving without insurance.
The Des Moines, Iowa Police Department said that they began investigating on January 30 after 71-year-old Stephanie Markert was struck by a vehicle and suffered serious injuries.
Markert was in a coma and pronounced dead after later being taken off life support on February 5. Markert was the House Director for Delta Gamma sorority at Drake University.
The Des Moines Register reported that Flores-Morales’ girlfriend told police he was drunk at the time of the crash.
Des Moines police detectives worked on interviewing witnesses, examining evidence and following leads. It was determined Flores-Morales fled to Lake County to avoid being arrested, police said.
The Lake County Sheriffโs Office Warrants Team was alerted and they launched a fugitive apprehension investigation, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli.
Covelli said that sheriff’s deputies learned Flores-Morales was doing roofing work to earn money in Lake County while he was avoiding apprehension.
On Thursday, the Sheriffโs Warrants Team arrested Flores-Morales as he was performing a roofing job at a home in the 2100 block of Gabriel Avenue in Zion, Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
He was taken into custody without incident. Flores-Morales is scheduled to appear in Lake County court on March 13 and remains held in the Lake County Jail while he awaits extradition back to Iowa.