A man who turned himself in to authorities following a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian Monday night in east Las Vegas made a brief initial court appearance Wednesday morning.
Clark County prosecutor Ercan Iscan said Broderick Brunlinger, 35, of Las Vegas, is suspected of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that, according to police, struck and killed the pedestrian who was crossing Nellis Boulevard westbound outside of a marked or implied crosswalk at 8:45 p.m. The Metropolitan Police Department said a Genesis GV60 was traveling south on Nellis and that the driver failed to remain at the scene south of Stewart Avenue.
The Clark County coroner’s office identified the pedestrian as Daniel Wetzel, 44. He died of blunt force injuries in a death deemed to be an accident.
Brunlinger is charged with a single felony count of duty to stop at an accident involving death.
Iscan said in a hearing in front of Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum Wednesday that Brunlinger turned himself in and acknowledged to authorities he was the driver in the collision. Police also observed damage to his vehicle. Iscan asked that bail be set at $100,000.
Sonny Bonaventure of the Clark County public defender’s office said there is no indication Brunlinger caused the accident.
“Mr. Brunlinger voluntarily surrendered himself, turned himself in to the authorities, which I think is obviously indicative of someone that is not a flight risk at all,” Bonaventure said, adding Brunlinger has lived in the Las Vegas Valley since 2000 and has extensive ties to the community.
Baucum set bail at $100,000 with high-level electronic monitoring if Brunlinger is released.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
