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DELTA — A man has been arrested and accused of transporting drugs through Utah when he was involved in a crash that killed his passenger and then ran from the scene.
Miguel Angel Garcia was booked into the Millard County Jail on Monday, his 30th birthday. He was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with automobile homicide, and failing to remain at the scene of an accident involving death, both third-degree felonies; drug distribution, a second-degree felony; obstructing justice, a class A misdemeanor; and DUI, a class B misdemeanor.
About 7:20 a.m. Friday, Utah Highway Patrol troopers were called to a rollover crash on U.S. 6 in a rural area about 30 miles west of Delta. Blanca Castaneda-Salazar, 22, of San Bernardino, California, was ejected from the vehicle and killed. Troopers believe the crash happened earlier that morning but it wasn't discovered for a while.
"As troopers began to investigate to see if there were any other occupants in the car, they found multiple empty beer bottles and distributable amounts of heroin found inside the car as well as around the area," a police booking affidavit states.
Investigators say there were shoe prints near the driver's side of the wrecked vehicle that did not match the victim's and a Mexican ID card belonging to Garcia.
On Sunday, authorities in Millard County received a call from a woman inquiring about a crash and about her niece who had been missing for a few days. Agents from the State Bureau of Investigation eventually learned that Castaneda-Salazar was the woman's niece and that she was last seen leaving Las Vegas on Sept. 30 with Garcia, who had come to her house to pick her up, according to the affidavit. The two were en route to Utah.
Castaneda-Salazar's mother told investigators that Garcia had called her after the crash and "made a statement to her that he had been drunk while driving and fell asleep. When he woke up, the victim was not in the car. He believed that she was under the car. Garcia said he was scared so he left the scene," the affidavit states.
Investigators then received additional information that Garcia destroyed his cellphone after the crash and had been using a private line to make several calls looking for someone who would drive him to Mexico, according to the arrest report. Police found Garcia on Monday in West Valley City and arrested him. Investigators reported finding the victim's purse with him.
"Without being questioned, Garcia also stated to agents that the reason he crashed was because he was drinking and he thought there was a curve in the road. When he turned to go with the curve, it took him off the roadway, causing the crash," according to the affidavit.
Police noted in their affidavit that Garcia has twice been deported from the United States and he could potentially face federal charges this time for illegal reentry. Investigators said he is also involved in drug distribution, the affidavit says.
