An Arizona man was arrested Monday in connection with a fatal drunken-driving crash that killed a Cortez man on U.S. Highway 491 outside Shiprock.
Casey Wade Russell, 49, of Gilbert, Arizona, was booked into the San Juan County Detention Center and charged with second-degree felony homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.
Russell was driving a 2015 GMC pickup at 4:56 p.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 491 near milepost 95, less than 2 miles north of Shiprock, when he crossed the center line while attempting to pass a commercial vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Russell allegedly struck a yellow Veloster head-on, killing its driver, Richard Morales of Cortez, the complaint states.
Morales worked as a nursing supervisor at Northern Navajo Medical Center and was driving home to Cortez, according to the complaint.
The commercial truck driver provided a video of the crash to New Mexico State Police Officer Dominic Deltsoi, who responded to the scene and investigated.
Deltsoi questioned Russell, who was in the emergency room at Northern Navajo Medical Center, and he initially denied driving and “asserted he didn’t remember what happened before the crash,” the complaint states.
However, after further questioning, Russell admitted he was driving the pickup and was the only occupant, the complaint states.
Deltsoi noted in the complaint that he “smelled a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from” Russell, and the man had bloodshot and watery eyes.
Russell consented to a blood draw to measure alcohol content, the complaint states.
Magistrate Mark Hawkins ordered Russell released on his own recognizance and set his preliminary hearing for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 30 in San Juan County Magistrate Court.
