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HURRICANE, Washington County — A woman with a history of drug-related crimes was arrested Monday after police say she caused a fatal crash in southern Utah in July after crossing into oncoming traffic.
Melissa Miner, 40, was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane on Monday and charged Tuesday in 5th District Court with negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, a second-degree felony; two counts of negligently operating a vehicle resulting injury, a class B and class C misdemeanor; drug possession, a class A misdemeanor; possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor; and a traffic infraction.
On July 1, Miner was driving a Hyundai Sonata west on state Route 9 when she crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a Toyota pickup head-on near 3900 West, according to a police booking affidavit. A third vehicle, a Mazda SUV that was behind the pickup, then hit the two vehicles that collided.
The driver of the pickup, 23-year-old Deliberto A. Pablo-Cruz, was killed.
Miner was weaving in and out of her lane prior to the crash, according to witnesses. One witness told police he saw her using a cellphone in her lap just two blocks from the crash, the affidavit states.
Miner was also injured and taken to a local hospital where she underwent surgery. Ambulance crews that initially treated Miner found a white substance on her clothing, according to the affidavit.
"In a later interview, Ms. Miner admitted this substance was methamphetamine. Ms. Miner told me she is addicted to methamphetamine and heroin," an officer wrote in the arrest report. Police also reported finding drug paraphernalia in Miner's wrecked car.
At the time of the crash, Miner had several drug-related cases pending, according to police, in addition to warrants out for her arrest. When she was arrested on Monday in the city of Washington, she again had warrants out for her arrest, police say.
Police said they collected Miner's blood to be tested by the state, but later "received a notification from the state lab that the blood was damaged by the carrier and was unable to be tested."
