Woman awaiting trial for serious DUI crash is jailed again for drinking
An accused drunk driver found herself back in jail after being caught drinking again.
Florinda Hernandez Vera, 47, of Prosser, has been out of custody for months awaiting trial on vehicular assault charges stemming from a crash that left her 13-year-old son and another man seriously hurt.
As part of her release without bail, she was ordered to stay away from alcohol. To make sure she stayed sober, she had to regularly use a portable breathalyzer.
When she used the device at 12:44 a.m. on Oct. 3, her blood-alcohol came up at 0.04 percent. Four minutes later, she blew a 0.044.
Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Clark asked that her bail be increased to $10,000, and Judge Jackie Stam agreed.
Hernandez Vera was booked into jail on Oct. 10 and released the next day after she posted a bond.
She remains out of jail and continues to need to use the portable breathalyzer while she awaits trial for the July 2023 crash.
She is accused of driving drunk when she crashed on Wine Country Road, slamming into another car heading in the opposite direction.
Court documents say tests showed she had a blood alcohol level of 0.198 percent, more than double the legal limit.
She had been at the Yakima River drinking and allegedly continued as she was heading home with her son about 10 p.m., said investigators. Her son and the another man both suffered broken legs, and she was knocked unconscious.
This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 5:00 AM.