Deputy OK after crash with alleged drunken driver
Police say Española woman pulled in front of officer’s car on U.S. 84
SANTA FE — A Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office captain was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the patrol car he was driving was struck by an alleged drunken driver on U.S. 84 on Thursday night.
New Mexico State Police say that Laverne Mondragon, 42, of Española, caused the crash when she pulled out in front of the officer.
She was booked into the Rio Arriba County jail and charged with DWI resulting in great bodily harm, careless driving and failure to stop before entering a highway.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, Capt. Billy Merrifield was northbound on U.S. 84 north of Española about 7 p.m. Thursday when he saw a car approaching the road from a driveway.
Merrifield served into the southbound lane in an effort to avoid a collision, but the other car struck his patrol car on the passenger side. The officer lost control, and his car rolled over, coming to rest on its roof.
Merrifield was taken to the hospital in Española as a precaution, according to the release. Police say Merrifield’s injuries were limited by his use of seat belts and the deployment of his vehicle’s airbags.
The New Mexico State Police, in its own statement on the crash, said the Nissan sedan Mondragon was driving crossed
the roadway and came to a halt on the shoulder of the road. She was not hurt. The State Police is handling the investigation.
Online court records show that Mondragon was cited for failure to obey a traffic signal in August and has an appearance scheduled in Española magistrate court on Monday.
She was charged with resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, battery upon a peace offer, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property in 2013, but the charges were dismissed.