A boat that was being towed down Highway 50 continued hundreds of yards down the Interstate after a collision knocked it loose. NHP photo
Roney Ronaldo Gonzalez-Otazo, 25, will likely remain in jail while the case against him proceeds.
Justice of the Peace Kristin Luis agreed Tuesday to lower his $125,000 bail on charges that include two counts of reckless driving resulting in death — category B felonies. One person remains in a coma from injuries suffered when Gonzales-Otazo’s truck ran through the Interstate-580, Highway 395, Highway 50 intersection in south Carson City on Nov. 9. A total of 11 people were injured.
Other charges against him include operating a commercial vehicle without a commercial driver’s license, no trailer brakes on the boat trailer he was hauling down Highway 50 from Lake Tahoe, failure to obey a traffic control device and transporting a wide load without a permit.
Luis said she couldn’t justify reducing bail to the $20,000 bail requested by the defendant’s lawyer, Michael Castillo. Bail was set at $100,000.
“I don’t know what ties him here,” she said. “He does not have any family, any familial ties to Northern Nevada.”
Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Reichenberger opposed reducing the bail. He said the court has no real way of ensuring the defendant would remain and appear in court.
“He’s not from here, has no family here, no plan to reside in this area,” Reichenberger said.
He also said there is no way to stop him from leaving the country, making it impossible to hold him accountable for what he did.
Luis made it clear she agrees, saying he has only been in the U.S. since 2019, has no valid license, essentially lied to officers investigating the crash and doesn’t have an employment history.
“I have a real struggle believing there are conditions I can put in place ensuring Mr. Gonzalez-Otazo will appear,” Luis said.
Attorneys in the case are working on setting a date for a preliminary hearing in the case next month.
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