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MPR News Staff
St. Paul

Son, mother charged in St. Paul cyclist's hit-and-run death

An image from a traffic camera after the accident on West Seventh Street
An image from a traffic camera after the accident on West Seventh Street, distributed by St. Paul Police Department.
Courtesy Thomas Olson | St. Paul Police

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The Ramsey County Attorney's Office said Friday it charged a son and mother in connection with the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist on West Seventh Street in St. Paul, near downtown.

Dustin Joel Hegner Royce, 28, faces two counts of criminal vehicular homicide. His mother Abbey Rose Hegner, 47, faces two counts of aiding an offender in the death of 52-year-old Jose Hernandez Solano.

Hernandez Solano was hit just after midnight on Nov. 26, shortly after leaving his job at the Brasa Premium Rotisserie restaurant on Grand Avenue. Police say a camera showed the vehicle slowed for a few seconds and then took off westbound on West 7th Street.

Debris at the scene and surveillance video from locations around St. Paul eventually led investigators to the two suspects, who were interviewed in December.

"Hegner stated that she sold the vehicle in November and denied any knowledge of the collision. Royce also denied involvement in the crash as well as any additional surveillance evidence identifying his proximity to the incident that night," the Ramsey County Attorney's Office said Friday.

Authorities have yet to find the vehicle in question, which they believe is a 2008 to 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV.

"The victim in this case did everything right," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement. "He was obeying traffic laws, wearing a safety helmet and had lights on the front and back of his bike, and yet he lost his life. We will do everything we can to hold these defendants accountable for their actions and bring a sense of justice to the victim's family and our community."

Hernandez Solano died about two weeks after being hit. His injuries included a fractured spinal column, chest cavity hemorrhaging and head trauma.

Prosecutors will ask for $500,000 and $50,000 bail, respectively for Royce and Hegner, the county attorney's office said.