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Man dies in DUI-related rollover

A Shafter man died in a rollover accident in the early morning hours of May 31 and the suspected driver of the vehicle was arrested on a charge of felony DUI, according to Shafter police.

The accident took place at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Santa Fe Way just south of Burbank Avenue. When police arrived, they found a red pickup truck that apparently veered off the roadway and rolled over. A man identified as Rene Daniel Chavez, 22, of Shafter, was found inside the truck and was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found the suspected driver of the vehicle, Miguel Palayo Jr., nearby.

“The individual who we suspect was driving the vehicle was transported to a local hospital for treatment and was then arrested,” said Capt. Jeff Bell of the Shafter Police Department. Palayo was subsequently charged with felony DUI.

Santa Fe Highway was closed in both directions for several hours while the cleanup and the initial investigation took place.

The coroner’s office and the district attorney’s crime lab assisted in the investigation, which is ongoing.

[BEGIN ITAL]—Jamie Stewart

 

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