- Zoe Carisa Blankenstein, 56, charged with automobile homicide in Sandy crosswalk death.
- Blankenstein's blood-alcohol level was six times the legal limit, say prosecutors.
- Victim Joshua M. Perry suffered fatal injuries from Jan. 15 crash.
SANDY — A Draper woman who investigators say hit and killed a pedestrian in a Sandy crosswalk while heavily intoxicated has been charged.
Zoe Carisa Blankenstein, who turns 56 on Friday, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; interfering with police, a class B misdemeanor; having an open container of alcohol in her vehicle, a class C misdemeanor; and running a stop sign, an infraction.
On Jan. 15, just before 7 p.m., Joshua M. Perry, 40, was crossing 1000 East at 11000 South and was in a crosswalk when a Ford Escape ran a stop sign and hit him, according to charging documents.
"The impact caused Perry to be thrown into a second vehicle, which had been stopped to make a right turn onto 1000 East," the charges state. "Medical staff advised that Perry had suffered a skull fracture from the front of his forehead to the back of his head, and that he had a severe traumatic brain injury that was nonrecoverable.
Police say the driver, Blankenstein, "showed no concern or remorse for Perry and proceeded to throw her arms in the air, telling officers that Perry 'came out of nowhere.' While walking to her vehicle (she) kept throwing her arms in the air and telling officers that she was just in shock. The defendant told officers numerous times that she made the left-hand turn on a 'green arrow' and that she was on '700 East and 11300 South,'" according to the charges.
The intersection where Perry was hit has four stop signs and no stop lights.
Officers also noted that Blankenstein — who told investigators that "she had been driving home after celebrating her birthday" — had a "heavy odor of alcohol" on her breath, was slurring her words and had difficulty walking and standing.
"The preliminary toxicology report showed that the defendant had a 0.309% blood-alcohol level at the time of the blood draw, which is over six times the legal limit," the charges state.
