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KEARNS — The cousin of a man recently charged in a hit-and-run crash that left a woman critically injured is now facing charges accusing him of lying to police during their investigation of the crash.
Christian Enciso, 25, of West Valley City, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony.
Last week, Luis Sebastian-Enciso, 23, of West Valley City, was charged in 3rd District Court with three counts of failing to stop at a serious injury accident and obstruction of justice, third-degree felonies.
In that case, Sebastian-Enciso was driving a vehicle on July 21 near 4200 West and 5400 South and "veered out of its lane of travel, struck a street sign and then struck" another car, according to charging documents.
Three people in the other vehicle were injured, including a woman who suffered "a traumatic brain injury" and numerous other broken bones and lacerations, the charges state. Surveillance video shows the driver who hit the victims run from the area following the collision, police say. He had distinctive tattoos on his calves, according to the charges.
When detectives questioned Sebastian-Enciso, he claimed his cousin, Enciso, had been driving, according to the charges. Investigators then questioned Enciso, who claimed he had been driving "when he dropped his cellphone, bent over to pick it up, and lost control, then fled because he was scared."
But when Enciso admitted he does not have any tattoos, detectives knew he was not the driver, the charges state.
On Aug. 29, when Sebastian-Enciso checked in with his parole officer, police noted he had "fresh tattoos on both his calves," apparently to cover up his old tattoos, and was taken into custody.
In 2019, Sebastian-Enciso was one of three men arrested for investigation of murder in the shooting death of 19-year-old Neko Jardine, a member of the Kearns High School football team. Formal charges, however, have not been filed against Sebastian-Enciso in that case, although prosecutors say the investigation is still active.
