ST. GEORGE — A Washington City woman was arrested for automobile homicide following a wrong-way crash on state Route 9 in Hurricane that killed a man in June, according to charging documents filed Monday in 5th District Court.
The driver, 40-year-old Melissa Miner, was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on Monday facing one second-degree felony count of negligently operating a motor vehicle that resulted in death, along with misdemeanor DUI, possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia.
Deliberto A. Pablo-Cruz, a 23-year-old from St. George, died in the crash.
The charges were submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review following an investigation conducted by the Utah Highway Patrol in connection with a three-vehicle crash reported near the corner of 3900 W. State Street in Hurricane on July 1, according to court documents.
On the day of the crash, authorities say Miner was driving a Hyundai west along SR-9 when she crossed over the median and slammed into an eastbound Toyota pickup truck occupied by Pablo-Cruz, who was driving, and two passengers. The Hyundai then struck a Mazda SUV that was trailing behind the pickup, as reported by St. George News in July.
Pablo-Cruz was pronounced dead at the scene, while both passengers were injured and transported to St. George Regional Hospital.
There were two occupants in the Mazda, a 31-year-old driver and her 2-month-old infant, both of whom were also transported to the hospital.
Miner also was injured and transported by ambulance and was taken into surgery shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The report also outlined the findings of the investigation conducted by the Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the reconstruction team that outlined the series of events that took place at the time of the crash.
According to the results of the investigation, witnesses said Miner was weaving in and out of traffic as the Hyundai headed east on SR-9. The witness also said they pulled up alongside the suspect at a traffic light on State Street and 3700 West, which is when they saw the driver looking at a cell phone.
Seconds later, Miner continued driving east for another two blocks and then veered across the median into oncoming traffic – where it struck the pickup head-on, the report states.
Officers also learned that on the day of the crash, medical staff found a baggie containing suspected methamphetamine that was in the suspect’s clothing. Drug paraphernalia was also recovered during an inventory of Miner’s vehicle, the report states.
A background check later revealed that Miner was on pre-trial release in connection with several open drug cases when the fatal crash occurred. And based on evidence collected through the course of the investigation, detectives say they believe the suspect “continued to use illicit narcotics even while on pre-trial release.”
Officers initially were unable to speak with Miner, since she was taken into surgery shortly after arrival. A blood and urine sample was collected and sent to the Utah Crime Lab for analysis. Troopers later learned the lab was unable to analyze the blood, but the urine same reportedly tested positive for meth.
It wasn’t until later that investigators were able to speak to Miner, who admitted to being addicted to heroin and meth, the report states.
On Monday, Miner was arrested and booked into jail on the listed charges, as well as four active warrants for her arrest. The charges are currently under review and she is being held without bail.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
Update Jan. 10, 3 p.m. Name of man killed added.
St. George News reporter Chris Reed contributed to this report.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.