Backsliding from eight months of sobriety led to a fatal vehicle crash near the intersection of U. S. Highway 491 and South Chino Loop on July 27. Witnesses said a black car traveling between 75 and 100 mph moved from the inside to the outside lane where it struck a white SUV around 7 pm and caused both vehicles to roll over into a nearby field, according to sheriff’s reports.
Gallup Fire Department and Medstar were already on site when McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Timo Molina arrived on the scene.
Molina said when he arrived, he saw three people lying near the two overturned vehicles. Off-duty Gallup Police Officer Dominic Molina was on the scene and told Deputy Molina that the female victim, Carrie Thomas, 56 from Thoreau, N.M., was not breathing and had no pulse. He said EMS personnel were treating a male victim near the SUV.
McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnson Lee told Deputy Molina that the Gallup Fire Department EMT, who was treating a female near the black car, said she smelled of alcohol and had admitted to drinking earlier. The woman, Stacey Spencer, 28, from Mentmore, was transported to Gallup Indian Medical Center before Deputy Molina could speak to her. Deputy Molina interviewed several witnesses to the crash and determined that Spencer had been the driver of the black car.
At the hospital, Deputy Molina obtained a warrant and had Spencer’s blood taken. When asked if she was driving the car, Spencer said she just woke up in the back of the car. She said she did not know whom she was with, but she was headed to work. Deputy Molina said Spencer had an odor of alcohol and watery eyes. She was arrested when the hospital released her, but no field sobriety tests were performed because Spencer complained of pain and injury.
At the time of publication, the identity of the male victim had still not been released. Deputy Molina was not able to speak to him because he was in critical condition.
At McKinley County Detention Center, Deputy Molina heard Spencer tell the jail nurse that she had drunk two half-pints of vodka that day and was relapsing from eight months of sobriety. She was booked for homicide by vehicle, great bodily harm by vehicle, and aggravated DWI.
By Russell Jones
Sun Correspondent