Man convicted of DUI, hitting teen girl in Riverbank, then fleeing

A 32-year-old man has been convicted of driving drunk and hitting a teenage girl with his vehicle as she walked in a Riverbank residential neighborhood earlier this month. Joshua Forest drove away, but alert bystanders helped Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies find him shortly after.

Forest, of Riverbank, pleaded no-contest Wednesday to driving under the influence causing injury and hit-and-run causing injury, both felonies, according to Deputy District Attorney Anthony Colacito.

The defendant was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation, said Colacito, who prosecuted the case. Forest has been in custody since his arrest. He was still in the Stanislaus County Jail on Friday, serving the remainder of his sentence.

Authorities have said the 17-year-old girl was hospitalized but survived her injuries.

The incident occurred June 3 in the 6000 block of Creek Bend Drive, just west of Roselle Avenue and north of Morrill Road.

Forest was driving with his wife and three children in the car when the vehicle struck the girl. Sheriff’s officials said Forest drove away, but bystanders called authorities and helped deputies find the vehicle as it was fleeing.

Initially, Forest was charged with three counts of child endangerment, but those counts were dropped as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Sheriff’s officials have said Forest was not injured in the crash, nor were his wife or children.

This story was originally published June 20, 2015 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Man convicted of DUI, hitting teen girl in Riverbank, then fleeing."