Othello woman pleads guilty to vehicular homicide in Franklin County

A 26-year-old woman admitted Tuesday that she was driving under the influence of alcohol when she fell asleep and crashed her car, killing her friend.

Alejandra Cardona of Othello pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court to vehicular homicide for the September 2011 wreck.

Cardona and her friend left the Tri-Cities shortly before 3:30 a.m. and were driving north on Highway 395 when the 2002 Ford Explorer swerved off the road, Deputy Prosecutor Brian Hultgrenn told the court.

Cardona overcorrected, which caused the SUV to roll about 10 miles north of Pasco. The Ford also hit a light pole.

Passenger Aurora Del Pilar Bazan, 27, of Othello, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the SUV. She died at the scene.

Cardona was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.

A Washington State Patrol trooper detected an odor of intoxicants while talking to Cardona and ordered a blood test. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.078 percent about 21/2 hours after the wreck. The legal limit in Washington is 0.08 percent.

Cardona will be sentenced Nov. 13.

Hultgrenn said the agreed recommendation is two years and seven months, though the standard range does go up to three years and five months.

Because Cardona's bond expired once she pleaded guilty, the court granted her release on her personal recognizance.

She must continue to wear an ankle bracelet that detects alcohol use.

Man pleads innocent to possession of cocaine

A Pasco man pleaded innocent to charges he was caught with cocaine during an investigation into a car crash he allegedly caused.

Steven Bazaldua, 28, is charged with possession of cocaine, a felony, and driving under the influence, a gross misdemeanor. The DUI includes the special allegation that his "breath alcohol content was greater than 0.15."

Court documents indicate that Bazaldua's blood-alcohol content was more than double the legal 0.08 limit -- at 0.176 and 0.180 -- when he was arrested Oct. 15.

Bazaldua was booked into the jail at the time on investigation of vehicular assault, but prosecutors have not charged him with that crime.

Franklin County sheriff's deputies responded to a multiple-vehicle collision at 6:30 p.m. on Court Street near Road 48. The deputies found two women inside a sedan complaining of neck and back pain, and Bazaldua was standing next to his work van while a third vehicle was nearby.

The driver of the third car said she followed the company van after seeing it hit the sedan, court documents said. She reported that Bazaldua seemed intoxicated, and said she smelled alcohol on his breath when he talked to her, documents said.

The deputies reportedly noted that Bazaldua was having a hard time keeping his balance and was slurring his words.

After arresting Bazaldua on suspicion of DUI, deputies found a $50 bill rolled up in his wallet with a white powder substance that tested positive for cocaine, documents said.

Bazaldua's trial is set for Jan. 9.

This story was originally published October 24, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Othello woman pleads guilty to vehicular homicide in Franklin County ."