Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Rios-Rodriguez arraigned in fatal crash
FAYETTEVILLE — A Farmington man pleaded not guilty in Washington County Circuit Court on Wednesday to one count of negligent homicide and three counts of second-degree battery in connection with a wrong-way crash on the Fulbright Expressway that killed a child in January.
Alexander Rios-Rodriguez, 27, was given an Oct. 11 court date before Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay.
Rios-Rodriguez is free on $25,000 bond while awaiting trial.
Police say Rios-Rodriguez was driving with blood alcohol of 0.10 or more at the time of the crash.
Negligent homicide is a Class A misdemeanor under Arkansas law, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, if convicted. A person commits negligent homicide if he or she negligently causes the death of another person, according to the law.
The wreck occurred at 4:35 a.m. Jan. 14 when Rios-Rodriguez was driving east in the westbound lanes on the expressway in a 2019 Toyota Camry, according to an Arkansas State Police fatal crash summary.
The Toyota crashed headon with a westbound 2009 Chevrolet Equinox driven by Alexs Soliz, 39, of Fort Smith, causing severe frontend damage to both vehicles and resulting in the death of a young girl in the Chevrolet.
Rios-Rodriguez and Soliz were both injured in the crash.
The other injured passengers were Erick Valera-Pecina, 32, of Fayetteville, who was in the Toyota, and Joshua Fedorchak, 29, of Bella Vista and Mi-Yan Garza, 23, of Bentonville, both of whom were in the Chevrolet.
The injured were all taken to area hospitals for treatment.