Local correctional deputy & his daughter killed in crash caused by suspected DUI driver
A Riverside County sheriff's correctional deputy and his daughter were killed in a head-on collision near San Jacinto caused by a suspected drunken driver, authorities announced on Monday.
Daniel Jacks Jr., 45, and Hannah Jacks, 20, both of San Jacinto, were fatally injured about 9 p.m. Sunday on Gilman Springs Road, just east of Bridge Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.
According to the Sheriff's Dept. Jacks began his service with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in Sept. 2008. After graduating from the academy, he was assigned to the Indio Jail. In May 2014, he was transferred to the Palm Desert Station and the following year transferred back to the Indo Jail. In March of 2022, he was promoted to his current rank of Correctional Corporal and was most recently assigned to the John Benoit Detention Center.
A 47-year-old Moreno Valley man was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, driving under the influence and other offenses for allegedly causing the wreck, in which he was seriously injured.
CHP Officer Jason Montez said the suspect was at the wheel of a Chevrolet Silverado with a front-seat passenger going westbound on Gilman Springs when a Honda Insight driven by Jacks approached from the opposite direction on the two-lane corridor, where there is no barrier forming a center median, only double yellow lines.
Montez alleged that the suspect's pickup "crossed over the divided highway and traveled into the eastbound traffic lane."
The Chevy slammed head-on into the Honda, with both vehicles coming to a stop in lanes, according to the CHP spokesman.
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics arrived a short time later and pronounced Jacks and his daughter dead at the scene.
The suspect and his passenger, identified by the CHP only as a 45-year-old Moreno Valley man, were taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment of major injuries.
The suspect "was determined to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage at the time of the crash,'' Montez said.
As of Monday afternoon, the suspect had not been officially charged by the Riverside County District Attorney's office. As part of our station's policy, we do not publish a suspect's name or photo until charges are filed.
Background information on the suspect was unavailable.
A fundraiser has been set up to support the Jacks family during these difficult times. The fundraiser can be found at: https://helpahero.com/campaign/corporal-daniel-jacks-daughter-hannah-jacks?fbclid=IwAR2i6aSHVbbxozVtkmSunoex4N0_JSeRCvaEe63fpCxqeqqVrBd6MbpvviA
