Fresno man accused of running over woman, dragging body eight miles, skips arraignment

The Fresno man accused of a horrific hit-and-run crash in northwest Fresno last year failed to show up for his arraignment recently and is once again a wanted man.

Shawn Ginder, 38, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death or permanent serious injury. The charge, plus his prior strike offense, could send him to prison for eight years.

He was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, but he didn’t show up in court. An arrest warrant was issued and his bail was set at $80,000.

His defense attorney Daniel Bacon asked Judge Samuel Dalesandro if Ginder could not be present for his next scheduled court hearing on September 18. The judge denied the request.

Ginder is accused of hitting and killing 29-year-old Monique Contreraz, on May 13, 2022, with his car at about 1 a.m. near the intersection of Herndon and Milburn avenues.

Contreraz, who is unhoused, was pushing a shopping cart and walking her dog Lucky when she was struck by Ginder’s Chevrolet Silverado truck.

Police said Ginder did not stop after the impact. He continued driving, dragging Contreraz for eight miles to the La Quinta Inn Hotel near Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard.

A 911 caller reported suspicious behavior in the hotel’s parking lot and when police arrived they found partial remains of the woman’s body.

Ginder fled and was not found until the next day. He was hiding out in a three-story cabin at Bass Lake and was taken into custody by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office after he jumped out of a top floor balcony.

He was taken to the hospital where he was treated for serious injuries.

Advocates for the unhoused have questioned the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office as to why it took so long to charge Ginder with a crime.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Dennis Lewis said deciding what to charge Ginder with was a long process.

“This was a heinous crime,” Lewis said. “And I have been doing this for more than 30 years and I have never seen anything close to this. That is my emotional response, but based on the elements what can we prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Lewis said prosecutors started off with the possibility of charging Ginder with murder and worked from there. They settled on leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death.

“We spent a lot of time on a charge that we were solid on and that we could prove,” he said.

Desiree “Dez” Martinez, an advocate for the unhoused, has followed Ginder’s case closely. She wants to make sure that Contreraz gets the justice she deserves.

Ginder has three previous convictions for driving under the influence.

“I feel that they will try and use mental health and his current condition as an excuse for him not to spend one day in jail or prison,” she said. “I’m concerned he will only get house arrest and a few fines his family will pay.”