Wrong-way driver was allegedly high and drunk before crash that killed Tri-City mom, 2 kids
A 37-year-old driver accused of killing a mother and two children was reportedly laughing when the first trooper arrived at the Pasco scene, court documents said.
Investigators believe Zachary N. Schwartz used a cannabis edible as well as drank alcohol before a deadly head-on crash on Interstate 182 on Friday. They believe his behavior was influenced by the edible.
“Schwartz’s demeanor was relaxed and nonchalant despite the severe scene in front of him,” Trooper Cameron Osmer wrote in the affidavit of probable cause filed in Franklin County Superior Court. “Based on my training and experience cannabis can cause people to feel euphoria which can account for his laughing.”
Schwartz is being held in the Franklin County jail on suspicion of three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault. His bail is set at $250,000.
The Yakima man told investigators that he had two drinks at a bar about two to three hours before getting behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang, court documents said.
He said he was coming from the Tri-Cities Airport when he got on the interstate in Pasco, driving east in the westbound lanes. He then slammed head-on into a Honda Civic with a Pasco family about 5:30 p.m.
The documents don’t say what bar he visited, where he got onto the highway or how far he traveled before the collision. They also don’t explain why he was at the airport.
The crash killed 39-year-old Guadalupe Vergara Gonzalez of Pasco and her 22-month-old toddler nearly instantly. Her 6-year-old son was left brain dead, and he later died at a Spokane hospital.
Her husband, Rodrigo Torres-Gonzalez, 42, of Pasco, who was driving the Civic, suffered a broken arm, court documents said. He was taken to Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco.
The first trooper to arrive said Schwartz was laughing while still sitting in the Mustang’s driver’s seat. He also called his father, an attorney in Yakima, before Trooper Osmer arrived on the scene.
Osmer is trained to recognize whether someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When he spoke with Schwartz, he reported smelling alcohol coming from Schwartz.
Troopers said they also found a wrapper that appeared to come from a cannabis edible on the driver’s side floorboard of the Mustang.
Osmer reported seeing signs of both alcohol and cannabis intoxication. An initial breath test at a local hospital showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.1%, which is above the legal limit of 0.08%.
A blood-sample was taken for more tests.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 4:49 PM.