Local
Fatal I-15 rollover near Jean leads to DUI and child-neglect charges
A 7-year-old girl died after a Chevrolet Tahoe rolled over on I-15 near Jean on Oct. 4, according to an arrest report. Her mother, Las Vegas resident Natalie Muriel Rodriguez, was arrested Oct. 14 and faces several charges, including DUI resulting in death.
A 7-year-old girl died after a rollover crash on Interstate 15 near Jean, Nevada, and her mother has been arrested on charges including DUI resulting in death, according to an arrest report.
The crash happened about 6:19 a.m. Oct. 4 near mile marker 21. Nevada Highway Patrol troopers found a gray Chevrolet Tahoe overturned on the northbound side of the highway. The impact ejected a juvenile passenger into the southbound lanes, where she suffered fatal injuries, the report said. The report said an unspecified number of vehicles drove over her afterward.
A preliminary investigation found the Tahoe left the road while traveling north. The driver corrected left, sending the vehicle across the lanes and into the center median, where it overturned, according to the report.
Rodriguez, who was the sole adult in the vehicle, told a trooper she had been driving between Las Vegas and Ontario, California, overnight. She said she was going 70 mph and felt the vehicle’s tires hit shoulder rumble strips before the crash, the report said.
The report says Rodriguez acknowledged using marijuana vape pens the previous day and taking an unidentified diet medication. She also told the trooper she has diabetes and takes prescribed gabapentin and metformin. Rodriguez was taken to University Medical Center’s Trauma Center with hip pain and abrasions. She consented to a blood draw, and investigators also obtained a warrant for a buccal swab, according to the report.
Rodriguez faces charges of DUI resulting in death; reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm; first-offense child abuse or neglect; failure to maintain a lane or improper lane change; and a basic-speed violation alleging she drove 30 to 40 mph over the posted limit.
A surviving juvenile passenger was treated at UMC for minor injuries. The arresting trooper contacted Child Protective Services, which later followed up at the hospital, the report said. The charges are allegations; the report does not state the results of the blood testing.