drunk driving Archives - Home Safety Tech Pros

Mom left child to die after crash, charged with murder: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:51:39 +0000

Inset: Reagan Herrin (GoFundMe). Background: An irrigation canal in Stanislaus County, California, where Reagan Herrin, 4, was allegedly killed in a DUI crash by her mother (KXTV/YouTube).

A mother in California has been charged with murder for leaving her 4-year-old daughter to die in a “partially submerged” SUV after she sent the vehicle careening into an irrigation canal during a DUI crash, with cops later finding the woman “taking a bath while her daughter remained in peril” at the scene, according to prosecutors.

Juliette Acosta, 26, was originally only charged with felony drunk driving for the deadly DUI crash that took the life of her daughter, Reagan Herrin, on the night of March 8 near the town of Hickman. On Friday, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office reported in a press release that Acosta’s charges had been upgraded to murder; vehicular manslaughter; driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury; permitting a child to suffer under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death; and resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer, peace officer or emergency medical technician following an investigation.

“According to the criminal complaint, Acosta is alleged to have been driving with a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit of .08%, when the fatal crash occurred,” the DA’s office said. “The charging document includes circumstances in aggravation, alleging that Acosta left her partially submerged car while her daughter remained trapped inside, failing to render aid to her child, being located taking a bath while her daughter remained in peril at the crash scene, and causing the death of a vulnerable victim.”

District Attorney Laugero noted in a statement Friday how the crash and Herrin’s death had a “significant” impact on local community members and the child’s family.

“However, our responsibility to both the victim and the integrity of our legal system requires a thorough investigation based on the evidence and the law,” Laugero said. “This methodical approach ensures that justice is pursued based on accurate information. I appreciate the public’s patience and understanding in protecting the process and ensuring our ethical obligations are met. Justice requires our absolute adherence to these standards.”

A friend who launched an online GoFundMe fundraiser for Gage Herrin, the victim’s father, described the Herrin family as being “overwhelmed with the support” from local residents, saying he “can’t begin to express their gratitude” after folks began reaching out after hearing what happened last month.

“Any remaining money that has been donated after expenses will be donated back to the community on Reagan’s behalf in hopes to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future,” the GoFundMe description says. “Thank you again for all your continued support and we pray that justice is served for Reagan.”

Acosta was caught by cops in San Francisco last week and transported back to Stanislaus County by the California Highway Patrol after she attempted to evade arrest, police say. If convicted on all charges, the DA’s office said Acosta will face a maximum sentence of life in prison. She is currently being held without bail.

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Celeb designer was allegedly drunk when he crashed Porsche

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 17:46:48 +0000

The Porsche driven by luxury home designer Edward Yedid, seen on the upper left in tan (New York Post).

A New York-based luxury home designer was charged with driving while intoxicated after he crashed his Porsche into another car carrying three family members.

Edward Yedid, 46, was arrested on Dec. 25 after an East Hampton collision with a vehicle carrying a 30-year-old woman, her partner, and her father. Everyone involved was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, including Yedid, who police say “performed poorly on all standardized field tests.”

The arrest report obtained by the New York Post said that the crash occurred at around 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 25 when Yedid, driving a silver Porsche, allegedly swerved into the oncoming lane and into the front corner of a black BMW, the driver of which also swerved to avoid the impact of Yedid’s car.

The Post spoke to one of the BMW’s passengers, Arianna Thomas, 30, whose father was driving the car while they were on their way to a movie. She said that when Yedid approached them after the crash, she said she could “smell alcohol immediately” and his eyes were “completely bloodshot.” According to Thomas, Yedid asked if she and the other passengers were OK and offered as an apology, “Sorry, my car just drives really fast.”

When police arrived on the scene, they questioned Yedid, who allegedly had “the odor of an alcoholic beverage” in his breath, was “unsteady on his feet,” and had “bloodshot, glassy eyes.” He complied with a breath sample and a field sobriety test, but police stated in their report that he “performed poorly on all standardized field tests.”

Thomas alleged that when police asked him how much he’d had to drink before getting in the car, Yedid allegedly responded, “Just today?”

Yedid, who is a cofounder of the luxury interior design company Grade New York, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to keep right, speeding, and driving an uninspected car. He was released from custody and is due back in court on Jan. 8.

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Parents allowed teens to drink, leading to fatal crash: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 04:14:36 +0000

Left: Anindita Rao (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office). Sophia Lekiachvili (family photo).

A teenager and two parents are facing felonies for their alleged roles in a crash that killed another 18-year-old woman in Georgia.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the crash, 18-year-old Hannah Hackemeyer, is charged with three counts of homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence, among other crimes, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a press release. Her friend’s parents, Sumanth Rao, 50, and Anindita Rao, 49, are facing involuntary manslaughter charges for allegedly allowing the teens to drink before the fateful crash that killed Sophia Lekiachvili.

Prosecutors say Hackemeyer, Lekiachvili, and the Rao’s daughter were drinking at the Rao household the night of Feb. 23 and into Feb. 24. The underage teens were drinking with the blessing of Sumanth Rao and Anindita Rao. Boston told reporters Wednesday at a press conference the Rao home was known as the “party house” where underage drinking was the norm.

“Halloween, Homecoming, the last day of school,” Boston said. “It is a miracle that nothing happened prior to Feb. 24. Mr. and Mrs. Rao’s choices that night led to the death of a teenage girl.”

According to prosecutors, the teens had just polished off a bottle of wine when they decided to go for a drive shortly before midnight. With Hackemeyer driving, Lekiachvili sat in the front passenger seat while the Rao girl rode in the back seat. They had an open bottle of wine in the car. Hackemeyer allegedly was driving the Mazda CX-5 nearly 100 mph — more than 60 mph over the speed limit — when she lost control and crashed, causing the car to roll over.

Hackemeyer and the Rao girl crawled out of the car. First responders rushed to the scene where they found Lekiachvili trapped in the passenger seat. They extricated her and rushed the teen to the hospital where she died from her injuries.

An investigation unveiled that Hackemeyer allegedly had a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.046, which is more than twice the legal limit for someone under the age of 21.

“This crash was a foreseeable consequence of allowing underage drinking in their home and worse — allowing someone who they knew had consumed alcohol — to drive,” Boston said in a statement. “We recognize that prosecuting these cases will not bring Sophia back, but we hope that by pursing justice in her death, we may prevent future tragedies.”

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