A Vancouver man was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of vehicular homicide in connection with an Aug. 19 crash in the Minnehaha area that killed a motorcyclist from Vancouver.
In addition to vehicular homicide, Carlos J. Hoyos Gonzalez, 26, entered not-guilty pleas to an ignition interlock violation, third-degree driving with a suspended or revoked license and hit-and-run of unattended property in Clark County Superior Court. His trial is scheduled for Oct. 26, court records show.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office previously identified the victim as 59-year-old Mark C. Holm of Vancouver.
According to court records, Hoyos Gonzalez has two prior arrests for drunken driving, most recently in May. He was required to have an ignition interlock device in his vehicle, which he did not have.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a statement last week stating that Hoyos Gonzalez “is a Mexican citizen and convicted criminal alien who is in the United States illegally.”
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations lodged an immigration detainer against Hoyos Gonzalez on Aug. 20 with the Clark County Jail, the statement says.
The federal agency said Hoyos Gonzalez has a 2018 conviction for driving under the influence, a 2017 conviction for driving with a suspended or revoked license and a 2014 conviction for reckless driving. He has not previously been removed from the U.S.
Fatal crash
Deputies were called about 5:20 p.m. for an injury crash at the intersection of Northeast Minnehaha Street and Northeast 47th Avenue.
They learned that Hoyos Gonzalez was driving a 1997 Ford Econoline van west in the left lane of Minnehaha Street and apparently racing a purple Lexus sedan in the right lane. The sedan turned right onto 47th Avenue, prompting Hoyos Gonzales to make a sweeping, counterclockwise turn in the intersection, according to the sheriff’s office and court records.
Hoyos Gonzalez turned into the path of Holm, who was riding a 2020 Kawasaki EX400 motorcycle west on the roadway. The motorcycle struck the right front of the van, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Holm was pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness said the van had left the road several blocks before the crash and may have struck a fence. It continued west on Minnehaha, weaving in and out of the lanes, and nearly struck other vehicles, the affidavit says. Dispatch had also received multiple 911 calls about the van being involved in several hit-and-run crashes.
A detective on scene saw empty beer bottles in Hoyos Gonzalez’s van. Hoyos Gonzalez told deputies he had been drinking alcohol “just down the road” before the fatal crash. He initially agreed to a field sobriety test but changed his mind after it started, the affidavit says. A search warrant was obtained to draw Hoyos Gonzalez’s blood for testing.
A friend of Hoyos Gonzalez’s told deputies at the scene that he had arrived at her home intoxicated before the fatal crash. Her husband tried to take away his keys, but he left in the van. He backed into a neighbor’s fence across the street, the woman said, and she learned of the fatal crash shortly after, the affidavit says.
