Man Pleads Guilty To Hit-And-Run In Teenage Girl's Death

ESCONDIDO, CA — A man who struck and killed a 17-year-old girl with his SUV in Escondido last summer, then drove off, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony hit-and-run charge.

Paul Anthony Lissona, 30, of Escondido, is slated to be sentenced Sept. 16 in connection with the death of Kirsten Rain Tomlinson.

The victim was with three friends when she was struck on June 6, 2020, at about 12:35 a.m. on Mesa Rock Road near Mesa Ranch Drive by a vehicle heading northbound at high speed.

She died at the scene, despite efforts by her friends and nearby neighbors to render aid, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The California Highway Patrol called on the public to be on the lookout for a white Toyota Highlander with front-end damage in connection with the fatality. A citizen's tip led to Lissona's arrest the day after the teen was killed.

— City News Service