Prosecutors in hit-and-run case: Victim's family was not ignored

The aunt of a homeless woman killed in a hit-and-run in South Tampa in February says the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office has ignored her family's wishes by offering a plea deal to the teenager accused of fleeing the accident. In a letter published Tuesday in tbt*, Lisa Mott, who lives in Kentucky, said her family was struggling to live with "a decision we are not any part of." Prosecutors took issue with Mott's claims, saying they had sought and considered the family's input in the case. "Lisa Mott has had direct communication with prosecutors in this office, and the family's representative has been constantly kept apprised of the status of the investigation and the progress of the case," Assistant State Attorney Michael Sinacore said Tuesday. A paralegal for the family's civil attorney also said Mott's statements were inaccurate. In her letter, Mott said 17-year-old Jordan Valdez hit Melissa Sjostrom twice, running over her with her back tires after Sjostrom's body rolled off the hood of the car. Prosecutors would not comment Tuesday on the facts of the case, and reports from the Hillsborough Medical Examiner's Office do not indicate specifics about what happened.