Man booked in Doña Ana County in connection with fatal Lea County crash
A 53-year-old man was booked in Doña Ana County on a vehicular homicide charge. Court records link him to a fatal March crash in Lea County.
Court records detail March head-on collision that killed one person
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A 53-year-old man was booked Wednesday in Doña Ana County in connection with a fatal crash in Lea County, according to jail and court records.
Pedro Duran Bustillos was booked late Wednesday morning on a vehicular homicide charge tied to a March crash south of Lovington, records show.
Court records from Lea County show a criminal case filed earlier this month against Pedro Duran Bustillos in connection with a fatal crash on March 5.
According to a criminal complaint, deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash on New Mexico Highway 18 near milepost 68 at about 11:24 p.m. Investigators determined one vehicle crossed the center median into oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision.
An adult male driver in the second vehicle, identified in court records as Jonathan Gonzales, was found dead at the scene. The other driver, identified in court records as Duran Bustillos, was extricated from the vehicle and transported to a hospital.
Investigators later suspected the driver had been intoxicated. A blood test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16, according to the complaint.
The complaint also states the defendant’s driving privileges were suspended at the time of the crash and that he has prior convictions related to driving while intoxicated, including a previous vehicular homicide conviction in 2003.
The Lea County case includes charges of homicide by vehicle, driving while license suspended and failure to maintain lane. A warrant for the defendant’s arrest, listing a Hobbs address, was issued earlier this month, court records show.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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