Suspect in fatal Salt Lake City hit-and-run crash charged with homicide

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – A man involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash in downtown Salt Lake City last week has been identified and charged with multiple felonies.

According to court documents, Steven Ray Weathers, 61, has been charged with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; theft of a firearm or operable motor vehicle, a second-degree felony; failure to remain at an accident involving death, a third-degree felony; drinking alcohol in a vehicle, a Class C misdemeanor; and driving on a denied license, a Class C misdemeanor.

Around 1:15 a.m. on Friday, May 2, Salt Lake City police officers responded to a hit-and-run incident at 400 South 200 East, according to charging documents. When officers arrived on scene, they found the victim, identified as Paul Sagers III, deceased on the curb around 50 feet from the crosswalk.

Investigators checked nearby security footage and found that a dark-colored Jeep with no headlights struck Sagers and fled the scene. Around 45 minutes later, the Salt Lake City Fire Department notified officers they had found the vehicle in a Trader Joe’s parking lot at 634 East 400 South.

Officers arrived and took Weathers into custody, noting there was a strong smell of alcohol coming from Weathers, adding that he was slurring his speech and could not stand without assistance.

When searching the vehicle, officers found an open Bud Light can in the center console and a partial case of Bud Light in the passenger seat. They also found an unopened 12-pack of Corona and observed damage to the passenger side of the vehicle, which was consistent with hitting Sagers.

A blood draw was done on Weathers, which showed a preliminary blood alcohol content level of 0.188, more than three times the legal limit in Utah.

Weathers was booked into Salt Lake County Jail and will have his initial appearance in front of a judge on May 14.

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