Richland driver high on fentanyl and meth admits killing his passenger in a head-on crash

A Richland driver is headed to prison for eight years after driving high on drugs and crashing on George Washington Way, killing his passenger.

Johnny Alexandro Glenn, 26, pleaded guilty this week in Benton County Superior Court to vehicular homicide while under the influence with the aggravating factor of having a prior DUI.

He had six different drugs in his system when he swerved into oncoming traffic in February 2022, according to court records.

A sample of Glenn’s blood taken after the crash showed he had methamphematine, fentanyl, amphetamine, norfentanyl and sedatives diazepam and nordiazapam in his system, said court documents.

Glenn was driving a Honda Civic south on George Washington Way just before 7 a.m. when witnesses reported seeing the car straddling the left and center lanes and driving erratically.

He suddenly turned into the path of a Ford F-150 pickup and didn’t try to stop before slamming into it.

Firefighters had to cut Glenn and his front seat passenger, Ernesto Moreno-Madrigal, 26, free from the wreckage.

Both men were rushed to a hospital, but Moreno-Madrigal did not survive. Glenn suffered a compound fracture to his arm and a broken clavicle, said the documents.

Police reported finding signs that Glenn used drugs, including an Oregon State Police property report from a Feb. 1 search of his car. At that time, police seized a bag of fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, a digital scale and a gun.

Richland investigators said they also found a piece of aluminum foil with black burn marks, straws used to inhale fumes from pills and a glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine. And they seized two bags of cannabis.

Glenn was previously arrested on suspicion of DUI, but that charge was changed to first-degree negligent driving before he pleaded guilty.

This week, Superior Court Judge Norma Rodriguez sentenced him to 8 1/2 years in a Washington state prison.

The Benton County Prosecutor’s Office credited the investigation by the Richland Police Department and Detective Eric Edwards and its deputy prosecutors Andrew Clark and Tyler Grandgeorge, and former deputy prosecutor Megan Killgore.

This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 3:36 PM.