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Alleged DUI driver in fatal Cathedral City crash arrested, victim identified

Published October 16, 2018 8:16 PM

A 46-year-old Cathedral City man has been arrested and charged for murder and gross vehicular manslaughter in connection with an early morning deadly crash in Cathedral City.

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46-year-old Mario Garcia was allegedly driving drunk when he rolled over his vehicle in a 2:04 a.m crash on Date Palm Drive near Tacevah Drive in Cathedral City this morning.

The passenger, 46-year-old Lenette Justina Saubel of Cathedral City, died at the scene.

“You’ve seen the amount of work that we’ve put into combatting driving under the influence,” said Cathedral City police chief Travis Walker. “It is extremely frustrating to continue to see these types of unnecessary crashes that are affecting our community.”

Garcia sustained minor injuries and was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was later arrested by Cathedral City Police Department officers for homicide and gross vehicular manslaughter. He was booked into Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and is being held on $1 million bail.