Portsmouth man sentenced to prison for hit-and-run crash that killed Newport man

A local man has been sentenced to prison after a fatal hit-and-run collision.

According to Captain Jason Ryan, on May 22, 2020, at approximately 11:20 p.m., the Middletown Police Department along with the Middletown Fire Department responded to the area of West Main Road at the entrance to Harbor Village for the report of a motor vehicle accident involving a bicycle.

Upon arrival, the bicyclist, identified as Elias “Joel” Velasquez Chavez a 40-year-old male from Newport had succumb to his injuries. The vehicle that was involved fled the scene.

Video showed a dark colored sedan travelling at a high rate of speed southbound on West Main Road at the time of the accident. The Middletown Police Department Detective Division continued to work on the case and received several tips from the community. One anonymous tip led them to a dark blue Honda accord registered to Paul A. Gomes, a 23-year-old male at the time from Cory’s Lane in Portsmouth. Evidence recovered at the scene of the crash matched the dark blue Honda registered to Gomes. The dark blue Honda was located in a salvage yard in East Providence and had damage consistent with the accident.

On Thursday, June 11, 2020, detectives secured a warrant for Gomes, charging him with Duty to Stop in an Accident Resulting in Death-1st Offense.

Gomes pleaded no contest this week and was sentenced to serve 3 1/2 years at the ACI with 4 1/2 suspended, followed by 8 years of probation, loss of license, and a $5,000 fine.