Jury convicts Paso Robles man of felony hit and run resulting in death

PASO ROBLES — A San Luis Obispo County jury has found Christopher Thomas Winters (35) of Paso Robles guilty of felony hit and run resulting in death.

During the week-long trial, jurors heard evidence that shortly after 1:30 a.m. on July 3, 2021, 22-year-old Steve Leon was struck by a vehicle on Meadowlark Road in Paso Robles. After being struck, Leon, who was on the roadway, was run over by Winters who fled the scene.

Eyewitness testimony established that Leon was alive when he was run over by Winters. About ten minutes before the crime, Winters was caught on video leaving Pine Street Saloon, where he is believed to have been drinking with friends. The driver of the first vehicle that struck Leon was never identified.

Winters faces a maximum of four years in state prison at his sentencing hearing scheduled for April 23, 2024, in Department 6 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, the Honorable Michael S. Frye presiding.

The case was investigated by the Paso Robles Police Department with the assistance of Senior Investigator Bryce Lickness with the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ashley Cevera.