Eight years in prison for man in Carthage hit-and-run

A man from Joplin has been given an 8-year prison sentence for hitting a Dominoes delivery driver in Carthage in November.

43-year-old Miguel Gaspar-Diaz was given four years for the leaving the scene of a crash charge and four years for tampering with evidence charge.

In a probable cause statement, he admitted to drinking alcohol at a friend’s house in Carthage prior to the accident, which seriously injured Braxton Thrasher, who has since recovered from his injuries.

Gasper-Diaz admitted to hitting Thrasher with his vehicle and driving a few hundred feet before stopping and removing him from the hood of his car and placing him in the ditch.

He then admitted to then fleeing the scene without attempting to contact law enforcement or exchange information with the other party involved.