Nelio Sotomayor-Sanchez
Credit: FBI
A man who fled the country after being charged in the death of a Newtown Middle School teacher’s aide was arrested in his native Peru.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Nelio Sotomayor-Sanchez, 46, was apprehended earlier this month in Lima, Peru, and is in the process of being extradited to Bucks County for prosecution.
Sotomayor-Sanchez was wanted on charges related to the fatal traffic crash he allegedly caused on Woodbourne Road near Swift Road in Middletown on December 23, 2010. Sotomayor-Sanchez’s Volkswagen Beetle struck a white PT Cruiser driven by Newtown Township resident Sheree Maillie, 55, head-on, authorities said.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the “defendant was attempting to pass another vehicle illegally over a double-yellow line when the fatal collision occurred. He is charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, causing a fatal accident while driving without a license and other offenses.”
Sheree Maillie
Credit: FBI
A witness told police they saw the Beetle cross the double-yellow line and observed a big cloud engulf the crash.
FBI Agent Adam Sucheski said in podcast that Sotomayor was driving without a valid license at the time of the crash.
Following the crash, Sotomayor-Sanchez was treated for various injuries at St. Mary Medical Center and interviewed by Middletown police.
After being discharged, he moved to Tampa, Florida, according to a letter received by Bucks County authorities on Jan. 12, 2011, from an attorney representing the defendant.
An attorney representing Sotomayor-Sanchez wrote in a January 2011 letter that his client had moved after the crash to Tampa. He also stated Sotomayor-Sanchez was aware of the charges that would be filed against him.
A day after charges were filed on February 25, 2011, Sotomayor-Sanchez allegedly boarded a plane in Miami and headed to Bogota, Colombia before taking a final flight to Peru, federal court papers state.
Sheree and Michael Maillie
Credit: FBI
While she worked at Newtown Middle School, Maillie was a retired NYPD officer. The Trentonian reported in 2010 that she met her husband, Michael, on the job in New York City.
“It just seemed so easy for this man to kill someone and then leave. It’s just so sick that anyone would know that this happened and not do something to bring it to an end,” said Maillie’s daughter, Julie, in a 2016 interview.
In addition to the Bucks County charges, Sotomayor-Sanchez faces a federal charge of unlawful international flight to avoid prosecution.
Bucks County authorities said they are working with the Department of Justice to bring Sotomayor-Sanchez stateside.
