An Albuquerque man, arrested for DWI four days earlier, is accused of being drunk when his SUV traveling at nearly 100 mph crashed into and killed a man and his two dogs.
Casino Salazar, 19, was out on bond from an arrest in Roswell when he slammed into Kevin Barton, 58, who was heading to pick up dinner with his dogs along Montgomery and Morris on Nov. 20, according to KRQE.
Police said Salazar was driving 96 mph in a 40 mph speed zone. Salazar’s vehicle contained six firearms, ammunition and drugs. After being treated for his injuries and released from a hospital, the teenager was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, open container, and negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Salazar, according to police, had been arrested on Nov. 16 after an incident in Roswell where he was involved in a one-car crash while allegedly traveling at a high rate of speed. He was captured after fleeing the scene and was charged with DWI, resisting arrest, evading arrest, and obstructing an officer. Police reported they found more than $4,300 in cash in his car and several firearms.
Prosecutors want Salazar locked up until trial because they say he continues to be a danger to the general public, KRQE reported. Prosecutors and police have argued New Mexico’s bail reform laws need to make it tougher for defendants charged with violent felonies to be released while awaiting trial.
Gove. Michelle Lujan Grishman has expressed support for change in the state’s pretrial detention system, according to U.S. News.
“I believe a rebuttable presumption for individuals accused of violent crimes can be a wedge in the revolving door of repeat violent offenses that have characterized the worst aspects of the crime our state continues to experience,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement to the Albuquerque Journal.
Under the current system, only those charged with a capital felony can be held prior to trial, but prosecutors must show the accused represents a danger and that there are no conditions of release that will protect the community.
