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Illegal immigrant sentenced in hit-and-run that killed Pinellas County deputy

By and
Published  March 4, 2025 8:58am EST
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • Juan Molina-Salles was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Tuesday after taking a plea deal back in February.
    • Molina-Salles, who is from Honduras and was in the U.S. illegally, hit and killed Deputy Michael Hartwick in 2022, then drove away from the scene.
    • He will also be deported back to Honduras after he serves his sentence.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - An illegal immigrant who pleaded guilty to charges in connection with a hit-and-run that killed a Pinellas County deputy was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Tuesday.

Juan Molina-Salles took a plea deal last month, and will now, on top of his sentence, have to pay fines and restitution and have his U.S. driver's license revoked forever in the country. He will also be deported back to Honduras after he serves his sentence. 

Juan Molina Salles took a plea deal last month in connection with the death of Deputy Michael Hartwick.

Juan Molina Salles took a plea deal last month in connection with the death of Deputy Michael Hartwick.

The backstory:

In September 2022, Deputy Michael Hartwick was providing security at a construction site on I-275 in Pinellas County. Dash and body cam video played in court last month showed the deputy getting out of his vehicle. That’s when he was hit and killed by a front-end loader driven by Molina-Salles.

Pictured: Deputy Michael Hartwick. Image is courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Pictured: Deputy Michael Hartwick. Image is courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. 

Molina-Salles, who is from Honduras and was in the U.S. illegally, fled the scene. He was later found after a nine-hour manhunt.

Before the deadly incident, officials said Molina-Salles had come into the country illegally, and he had been arrested at the border before.

Juan Molina Salles was located after a nine-hour manhunt. Image is courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Juan Molina Salles was located after a nine-hour manhunt. Image is courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. 

"Mike’s actions protecting his community caused the consequences of his death," said Jeffrey Snyder, a friend of Deputy Hartwick. "And we will never recover knowing that that man gave himself until the very last second for his family, and the community, and the defendant, who he was trying to protect that night."

Dig deeper:

Attorneys for the state argued Molina-Salles had access to a cell phone and, in the hours after the crash, made several calls. However, he never called 911 to request help for Deputy Hartwick, they said. They objected to his requested 20-year sentence cap and instead asked the judge for a 30-year cap, which is the maximum.

At a February hearing, Pinellas County Judge Pat Siracusa decided to accept Molina-Salles’ guilty plea with the 20-year sentence cap.

During Tuesday's hearing, the state asked for the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the defense asked for four to 10.3 years. Molina-Salles does have credit for the time he's already served. 

The other side:

The defendant spoke during the hearing on Tuesday, saying he left Honduras for better opportunities in the U.S., and was even sending money back to his wife and two kids. He also said he had years of experience operating heavy machinery without a single accident. 

"I am very sorry for leaving the scene of the accident where Deputy Hartwick died," Molina-Salles said. "I was afraid, not because of being deported, but because I was afraid no one would believe me or understand it had been an accident."

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The Source: This story was written using information from Pinellas County court records and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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