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Illegal immigrant takes plea deal in connection with death of Pinellas County deputy

By and FOX 13 News Staff
Published  February 21, 2025 5:33pm EST
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

Man pleads guilty to leaving scene of deputy's death

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.

The Brief

    • A man who was in the country illegally has taken a plea deal in connection with the death of a Pinellas County deputy.
    • Juan Molina Salles agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a 20-year sentence cap.
    • The judge said once Molina Salles serves his time, he will be deported.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - An illegal immigrant, who is accused of leaving the scene after authorities say he hit and killed a Pinellas County deputy in 2022, pleaded guilty in court on Friday. 

Originally, Juan Molina-Salles pleaded not guilty to the charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving death. However, he changed that plea to guilty on Friday and asked that his sentence be no more than 20 years. 

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 Friday showed the deputy got out of his vehicle. That’s when he was hit and killed by a front-end loader driven by Molina-Salles.

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. 

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. 

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.

The family of Deputy Hartwick attended Friday’s court hearing and released a statement through a victim’s advocate.  

What they're saying:

"He was a mason, a Navy veteran, a member of the American Legion, and a volunteer in the community. He dedicated his life to service for others," the statement read. "While immigration is not the issue being discussed today, we as a family cannot help but consider how our father was taken by someone who did not have the proper documentation to be here in the first place." 

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. 

In the end, Pinellas County Judge Pat Siracusa decided to accept Molina-Salles’ guilty plea with the 20-year sentence cap. 

READ: Sheriffs Grady Judd, Bob Gualtieri tapped to advise Florida cabinet on immigration enforcement

"I have to remain consistent in the way that I impose the law, and I have a track record that goes back 18 years," Siracusa stated. "It would be easy to look up and find that I have never given somebody more than 15 years for leaving the scene of a crash."

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

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

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Sentencing is set for March 4 at 9 a.m. Molina-Salles could receive a sentence of anywhere between four and 20 years. 

"I can tell you that by entering this plea, it’s not really a ‘will it happen’ anymore. It’s guaranteed. At the end of whatever prison sentence you receive, you will be deported," Siracusa told Molina-Salles Friday. 

The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia and previous FOX 13 News reports. 

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