Man, 36, suspected of DUI in fatal Indio crash pleads not guilty to charges
A 36-year-old man suspected of driving under the influence and causing a fatal crash pleaded not guilty today to felony charges.
Alexander Frank Ortega was charged with one felony count each of murder, driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury and driving under the influence of alcohol .08% or more causing bodily injury, according to court records. He additionally faces sentence-enhancing allegations of causing great bodily injury.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Officers responded at 9:45 p.m. Dec. 19 to a report of a traffic collision on Indio Springs Parkway east of Golf Center Parkway, Indio Police Department spokesman Ben Guitron told City News Service.
A white GMC pickup truck was traveling west on Indio Springs Parkway when it crossed lanes and went against traffic, Guitron said. The truck then struck a white Saturn Sudan, which was occupied by a man and a female passenger.
"When they collided it was a pretty serious accident,'' Guitron said. "The occupants of the Saturn had to be extracted by Indio Fire, Cal Fire and then they were transported by ambulance to the hospital."
The man succumbed to his injuries at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio and was pronounced dead at 10:25 p.m., according to the Riverside County coroner's office. He was identified as 53-year-old Martin Gutierrez of Indio.
It was not immediately known what level of injuries the passenger sustained.
Ortega was subsequently booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remains held on $2 million bail, according to inmate records.
According to court records, he also pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol .08% or more.
