A North Carolina woman has been sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty in connection with a fatal hit-and-run that killed a 25-year-old runner earlier this year.
Q’Laundra Kadri Hood, 28, entered pleas to felony hit-and-run causing serious injury or death and misdemeanor death by vehicle.
Mecklenburg County Superior Court Judge Reggie E. McKnight suspended a longer prison sentence of 16 to 29 months and instead ordered Hood to serve 30 days in the Mecklenburg County Jail.
She was also sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation and ordered to pay $765 in restitution.
The case stems from a Jan. 14, 2026, crash in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood.
Police responded around 5:47 p.m. to the 3300 block of The Plaza near East 36th Street, where they found 25-year-old Lance Andreas Jesus Sotelo with serious injuries.
Sotelo died before he could be transported to a hospital.
Investigators determined that Hood was driving a white Chevrolet Impala when she ran a red light at the intersection of The Plaza and East 36th Street.
Police said Sotelo was running when he was struck.
Speed was also identified as a contributing factor in the crash.
After striking Sotelo, Hood left the scene and traveled southwest on The Plaza, according to investigators.
She turned herself in to police the following day at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Hickory Grove Division.
Court records and police affidavits indicated that Hood did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.
She later told investigators that she left the scene because she was scared.
According to the case records, Hood returned home and discussed what happened with members of her family.
Her relatives encouraged her to turn herself in to police.
Hood had originally faced additional charges, including involuntary manslaughter, driving without an operator’s license and failing to stop at a red light.
Those charges were resolved as part of the plea agreement.
During the sentencing hearing, Hood addressed Sotelo’s family and apologized for her actions.
She also asked the family for forgiveness.
Sotelo’s mother, Jeanne, told the court that she forgave Hood but said she could not forget what happened to her son, per Trending Politics.
Sotelo’s partner, James Holt, also spoke during the hearing and emphasized the family’s desire for accountability.
Sotelo had graduated from Queens University of Charlotte in 2025.
He spent six years competing on the university’s men’s cross-country and track and field teams.
He also served as student body president and earned a master’s degree in business administration.
At the time of his death, Sotelo was working as a graduate assistant in student engagement.
The sentence has drawn attention because Hood will serve only 30 days behind bars despite the fatal nature of the crash and her decision to leave the scene.
The longer 16-to-29-month sentence was suspended by the judge, meaning Hood will avoid serving that term as long as she complies with the conditions of her probation.
She must complete three years of supervised probation in addition to the 30-day jail term.
The case has since generated broader discussion over sentencing in fatal hit-and-run cases and whether penalties adequately reflect the consequences of leaving the scene of a deadly crash.
For Sotelo’s family, however, the court proceedings marked another step in a case that began with his death on a Charlotte street and ended with Hood accepting responsibility through a plea agreement.
