A Lynnwood man and Kirkland area caregiver plead not guilty to a charge against him for a hit-and-run that left a Kenmore woman dead on March 14.
Kwesi Gyesi, 53, faces one count of felony hit-and-run for failing to get out of his vehicle and follow proper procedure after he struck 20-year-old Sarah Paulson at a Kenmore crosswalk at the intersection of Juanita Drive Northeast and Northeast 160th Street.
At 7 a.m., Paulson was on her way to catch a metro bus that she rides to Bellevue College. Charging documents state Paulson was mid-way through the crosswalk, which was unlit and dark at the time of the accident, when a witness saw a vehicle strike her.
Paulson later died at Harborview Medical Center a couple hours later from collision-related injuries.
The witness saw the driver pull over but did not see the driver get out to check on the accident. A short while later, the driver drove off, charging documents state.
“Another driver did exit her car and ran to Ms. Paulson’s body,” the documents continue, adding the witness immediately called 911.
Gyesi called 911 sixteen minutes after the accident and police responded to a Kirkland apartment complex located at the 7300 block of Northeast 141st Place.
Gyesi said he was driving to the apartment complex to begin work. Charging documents state he is a caregiver with Shared Journeys in Seattle.
He told police he heard the hit, pulled over for 10 to 15 minutes and then drove away. He told police he did not know what he hit and that he had to relieve a coworker, charging documents state. Additionally, he had left his cell phone at work, which was three minutes from the accident.
Gyesi was allegedly driving an 2012 Hyundai Tucson SUV, which police concluded had damage consistent with the accident. The SUV had a broken headlight, dent on the right side and a smear underneath the right headlight area.
After police pressed Gyesi for more information, he requested an attorney to be present. His Hyundai Tucson was towed to the King County Sheriff’s Office Evidence Lot.
Gyesi has no known criminal history and is being held on a $25,000 bail. The case setting date is April 14.
