Pocatello Man Arrested After Fleeing Hit-and-Run Crash, Leaving Injured Victims Behind
POCATELLO, Idaho — A Pocatello man faces multiple felony charges after he allegedly abandoned the scene of a serious crash he is accused of causing, leaving behind an injured mother, her two young children, and a woman passenger who later required emergency medical treatment.
Dillon Cerino has been charged with two counts of felony leaving the scene of an injury accident and one count of felony grand theft connected to the incident. He was booked into the Bannock County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
Crash at Pocatello Intersection Injures Mother, Children
Pocatello Police officers responded shortly before 8 p.m. on May 13 to the intersection of Flandro Drive and Yellowstone Avenue following a reported hit-and-run injury crash. Dispatch received information that the driver had fled the scene on foot after the collision.
Two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were present at the scene and told officers that a red Dodge pickup had struck a white truck head-on while crossing the intersection. Witnesses identified Cerino as the driver of the red pickup, stating he fled on foot westward toward a nearby overpass after the crash.
When officers located Cerino, he was reportedly involved in a physical altercation with multiple witnesses who had witnessed the crash and were attempting to prevent him from leaving the area. Officers detained and identified him near a local restaurant parking lot.
The driver of the white truck — an adult woman — sustained lacerations to her left hand and a possible arm fracture. She was transported to Portneuf Medical Center for treatment. One of her two small children suffered minor abrasions to the neck, though emergency medical personnel did not consider the injury serious.
Second Victim Came Forward Hours Later
The incident took a further turn later that night. Around two hours after the initial crash response, officers were dispatched to a separate medical call involving a woman who had suffered a serious leg laceration requiring immediate care. When police arrived, the woman disclosed that she had been a passenger in the red truck at the time of the crash and had fled the scene alongside Cerino.
She was also transported to Portneuf Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.
Cerino himself was taken to Portneuf Medical Center for injuries sustained in the crash. While there, medical staff reportedly discovered drug paraphernalia — a device commonly used to ingest powdered narcotics — in the bed from which he was transferred. A white powdery substance found inside the item was collected by police and sent for laboratory testing. Results have not yet been released.
Truck Reported Stolen; Cerino’s Account Disputed
The investigation took an additional turn the following day when officers discovered the red pickup had been reported stolen. The registered owner told police he had returned from out of state to find his truck missing. He stated that Cerino had previously asked to borrow the vehicle and was told no. The owner alleged Cerino later took the truck keys from his jacket without permission.
Cerino, when interviewed at the jail, offered a different account. He claimed the owner had given him the keys voluntarily for a test drive and that he had driven the truck for most of the day before the crash. He said he did not know when he was supposed to return it and had no means of contacting the owner.
Cerino is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 27. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 10 years in prison and fines reaching $10,000. As with all criminal defendants, Cerino is presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law. Court records indicate he had not yet been assigned a public defender as of the time charges were filed.
Road safety remains a persistent concern across Bonneville County and the broader region. A 74-year-old Bonneville County man was killed in a two-vehicle crash just days after this incident, underscoring the ongoing dangers posed by serious collisions on East Idaho roadways.
What Comes Next
Cerino’s preliminary hearing is set for May 27, at which point a judge will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trial. Additional charges related to the drug paraphernalia and suspected narcotic substance may follow depending on lab results. Bonneville County News will continue to follow this case as it moves through the court system. For broader Idaho public safety coverage, visit Idaho News.