Weld County Driver Sentenced in Cyclist's Death

A Weld County woman was sentenced today, June 13, 2025, to five years in prison after fatally striking a bicyclist and fleeing the scene in Greeley, Colorado, in 2023. Ana Caren Romero hit Michael Wallen while he was riding his bike on 8th Avenue and left without stopping or calling for help. After the crash, Romero drove through a McDonald’s drive-through with her 5-year-old son in the car before eventually returning home. Following an investigation that linked Romero’s vehicle to the crash, she pled guilty to vehicular homicide and was sentenced by Weld County District Court Judge Anita Crowther, underscoring the serious consequences of her actions.

Via the Weld County District Attorney-

GREELEY, Colo. A Weld County woman will spend the next five years in prison after she hit and killed a bicyclist before fleeing the scene in 2023.

On December 4, 2023, Ana Caren Romero hit and killed Michael Wallen while he was riding his bike in the 2300 block of 8^th Avenue. Romero did not stop at the scene of the crash.

“The defendant is here today because of the choices she made,” Deputy District Attorney Katherine Fitzgerald said. “She chose to drive away. She chose to not call 911. She chose to not render aid.”

When officers from the Greeley Police Department Traffic Unit processed the scene, they recovered pieces of debris that were identified as coming from a 2017 – 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Later that evening, the defendant’s attorney contacted police, saying their client’s vehicle had been involved in an accident and was at her home.

Officers went to her address and confirmed it was a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee, matching both the video and eyewitness descriptions. The vehicle was registered to the defendant and had front-end damage matching the debris and paint transfer that appeared to match the victim’s bike.

In September of 2024, the Weld County Statutory Grand Jury issued an indictment, and Romero was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, a class 3 felony. In February, Romero pled guilty to one count of vehicular homicide.

On Thursday afternoon, Weld County District Court Judge Anita Crowther sentenced the defendant to five years in the Colorado Department of Corrections. Under the law, the maximum sentence was six years in DOC.

“There’s nothing more serious than when someone is killed. Michael Wallen is no longer with us because of the choices she made that night,” DDA Fitzgerald said.