A woman is in the Tarrant County jail tonight charged with intoxication manslaughter. It’s not her first arrest related to suspected drinking and driving and as we head into New Year’s Eve, a time for celebrating, our top story is a reminder of why it’s so important to celebrate safely. NBC 5’s Noelle Walker reports.
The 4400 block of Booth Calloway in North Richland Hills is a neighborhood where people go for a medical emergency. Medical City North Hills is located there. On Dec. 27, it was the site of a medical emergency.
"It was right there," neighbor Alicha Aguilara said pointing to the place where a car hit a pedestrian. "There was a lot of debris everywhere."
"The caller reported the woman had pretty serious injuries and they were visible to her," North Richland Hills Police Public Information Officer Carissa Katekaru said.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office released the name of the victim on Friday; Mercedes Kuanda. She was taken to the hospital across the street, where she died.
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Police arrested 26-year-old Gabriella Anchondo on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter. She was booked into the Tarrant County Jail.
"Interestingly enough, Ms. Anchondo was arrested for her second offense of DWI on December 12, and she has not gone to court for that charge yet," Katekaru said.
That was 2-weeks ago. Anchondo was arrested for suspected DWI, bonded out, and was awaiting a court date in January when the deadly crash happened this week.
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Anchondo has a history of DWI arrests dating back to 2017 in Dallas County. She pleaded to a misdemeanor DWI in that case in 2019 and was sentenced to 150 days in jail, a $500 fine, and 15 months probation.
"It hurts me that it was right here and it hurts me that we let someone like that on the street back again," Aguilara said. "They don't listen. The only way they're gonna listen is if you put them behind the bars and leave 'em there!"
"People can't be arrested or ticketed into stopping," Nexus Recovery Center President/CEO Heather Ormand explained. "It (substance use disorder) is a chronic disease and people can't just stop if they are arrested or ticketed. They need treatment and intervention."
For anyone who has a drink, it's a sober reminder to designate a driver or call a ride share.
"It's sad. It's sad," Aguilar said.
