Wrong-way driver pleads not guilty to vehicular homicides
I-90 crash in Grant County last month claimed two lives.
Updated
EPHRATA — A Seattle man pled not guilty Friday to charges of vehicular homicide in connection with a head-on collision that killed two passengers while driving the wrong way on Interstate 90 near George last month.
Brayan Reyes-Alvarez, 24, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving east at a high rate of speed in the freeway’s westbound lanes on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 8, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Reyes’ 2020 Dodge Charger collided with a westbound Chevrolet Tahoe driven by William E. Tomalin, 71, of Kent.
Both men and a passenger in the Tahoe, 70-year-old Catherine Tomalin of Kent, all sustained minor injuries in the wreck. The Tomalins, who were wearing seat belts, were treated at the scene. Reyes was transported to Quincy Valley Medical Center and later released.
But two female passengers in Reyes’ car suffered fatal injuries due to blunt force impact and were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were identified as Yesenia Acosta Delgado of Algona and Breeanna M. Stanton of Tacoma, both age 23. Neither they nor Reyes were wearing a seat belt, according to the WSP report.
When initially questioned, Reyes allegedly told troopers he was not driving the car. But text messages and images recovered from the two victims’ phones placed him at the wheel and made references to alcohol being consumed, and one trooper said Reyes was observed with a glass jar containing marijuana after the wreck, the report stated.
Reyes was arraigned yesterday afternoon in Grant County Superior Court, when he pled not guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide. Judge Jennifer Richardson scheduled an Oct. 28 trial date and maintained a previous bail amount of $1 million.
If Reyes bails out of jail prior to trial, Richardson imposed conditions of release that include weekly contact with his defense attorney, not leaving the state without court permission, having alcohol-ignition interlock devices on all vehicles he might operate, and complying with a 24-7 sobriety monitoring program that he must pay for.
The state’s case is being handled by county deputy prosecutor Chad Jenks.
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Wrong-way driver pleads not guilty to vehicular homicides
I-90 crash in Grant County last month claimed two lives.
EPHRATA — A Seattle man pled not guilty Friday to charges of vehicular homicide in connection with a head-on collision that killed two passengers while driving the wrong way on Interstate 90 near George last month.
Brayan Reyes-Alvarez, 24, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving east at a high rate of speed in the freeway’s westbound lanes on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 8, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Reyes’ 2020 Dodge Charger collided with a westbound Chevrolet Tahoe driven by William E. Tomalin, 71, of Kent.
Both men and a passenger in the Tahoe, 70-year-old Catherine Tomalin of Kent, all sustained minor injuries in the wreck. The Tomalins, who were wearing seat belts, were treated at the scene. Reyes was transported to Quincy Valley Medical Center and later released.
But two female passengers in Reyes’ car suffered fatal injuries due to blunt force impact and were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were identified as Yesenia Acosta Delgado of Algona and Breeanna M. Stanton of Tacoma, both age 23. Neither they nor Reyes were wearing a seat belt, according to the WSP report.
When initially questioned, Reyes allegedly told troopers he was not driving the car. But text messages and images recovered from the two victims’ phones placed him at the wheel and made references to alcohol being consumed, and one trooper said Reyes was observed with a glass jar containing marijuana after the wreck, the report stated.
Reyes was arraigned yesterday afternoon in Grant County Superior Court, when he pled not guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide. Judge Jennifer Richardson scheduled an Oct. 28 trial date and maintained a previous bail amount of $1 million.
If Reyes bails out of jail prior to trial, Richardson imposed conditions of release that include weekly contact with his defense attorney, not leaving the state without court permission, having alcohol-ignition interlock devices on all vehicles he might operate, and complying with a 24-7 sobriety monitoring program that he must pay for.
The state’s case is being handled by county deputy prosecutor Chad Jenks.