Man charged with manslaughter after death of 17-year-old in crash

Marco Cuevas | Bingham County Jail
BLACKFOOT — A 24-year-old driver was charged for the death of his passenger following a Bingham County Crash earlier this month.
Marco Cuevas was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter and misdemeanor driving without privileges Tuesday.
On Oct. 14 at 8:46 p.m., deputies with the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an accident at the intersection of 900 West Highway 39 in Blackfoot.
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Dispatch told the deputies multiple people were ejected from the vehicle, and one person was having difficulty breathing.
When deputies arrived, an ambulance was on the scene, treating one of the victims who was ejected, according to court documents.
A deputy made contact with the driver of a White Chevy Pickup truck, who didn’t have any severe injuries and was not ejected from his vehicle.
The deputy then located EMTs who were working on Cuevas, the driver of a maroon 1993 GMC Sierra, and his passenger, 17-year-old Jesus Ortiz.
Police records state a witness approached one of the deputies and identified himself as an officer of the Tempe Police. He told the deputy the GMC was traveling south on 900 West and failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of 900 West Highway 39.
The GMC then struck the pickup truck traveling east on Highway 39, pushing it off the road.
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The deputy then walked up to the GMC and reportedly noticed the “strong (odor) of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle.
Looking into the GMC, the deputy reportedly saw an “opened pack of Budweiser and a few other alcoholic beverages on the passenger side of the vehicle on the floorboard.”
The deputy also noticed a “liquid on the seats that appeared to be from an alcoholic beverage.”
An EMT later told the deputy that Cuevas had admitted to drinking but would not say who the driver of the GMC was, according to court documents.
An employee from a nearby gas station told investigators that Cuevas had come into the gas station and purchased alcohol. The employee said that when he left, Cuevas got into a “dark-colored truck and squealed his tires upon reversing out of the parking lot” before running the stop sign.
According to deputies, once the GMC left the parking lot and ran the stop sign, it struck the pickup on the driver’s side, causing the GMC to push the Chevy off the road into a field.
The two vehicles then “spun around in different directions,” causing Cuevas and Ortiz to be ejected from the GMC.
Ortiz later died due to his injuries.
Cuevas was taken to a local hospital where he was reportedly “released from the (hospital) with some injuries but nothing life-threatening.” A blood draw was done on Cuevas, and the test results are not yet available.
Cuevas suffered injuries to his neck and back along with some fractures, so he was not immediately placed under arrest.
According to police reports, deputies later learned that Cuevas had a suspended drivers license for a DUI that he received this year.
A warrant was issued for Cuevas’ arrest, and he appeared in court for an initial appearance on Wednesday.
He was booked, and his bond was set to $250,000. He posted bail and is expected to be released soon.
Cuevas is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 2. If convicted, he could face up to 15 and a half years in prison.
Though Cuevas has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
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Source: eastidahonews.com