A Chula Vista man was sentenced Sept. 23 to two years and eight months in state prison for his role in a hit and run death in National City and also for obtaining fraudulent prescriptions.
Barwar Barwari, 18, was sentenced for involvement in the Feb. 10 death of Cris Ringor Dano, 49, who was struck while crossing Highland Avenue near East 30th Street around 10:39 p.m. by a Toyota Echo. Barwari denied being the driver and made a police report an hour after the incident in which he claimed his car was stolen.
However, Barwari pleaded guilty to being a passenger in the car that caused the fatality and admitted he had possession and control of the vehicle, which was registered to his father. His parents wrote a letter to San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert O’Neill that said he was not the driver.
A witness told authorities the driver may have been Ismael Franco Cruz, 18, of Chula Vista. Cruz pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the hit and run and he was sentenced June 5 to 16 months in prison.
Barwari told police the vehicle was stolen while he was at Cruz’s residence.
Barwari’s probation report says National City Police determined that his cell phone was activated near the crash site and also where the damaged vehicle was found in San Ysidro.
Barwari also pleaded guilty to two drugstore burglaries and two counts of obtaining fraudulent prescriptions involving a stolen prescription pad from a Chula Vista doctor and a nurse practitioner.
O’Neill denied probation to Barwari and fined him $3,677 in the two cases. Barwari was given credit for serving 348 days in jail.
