黑料福利社

A Prosser man has been charged in connection with a crash near Sunnyside that left one man seriously injured.

Yakima County prosecutors filed vehicular assault and driving a vehicle without a required ignition interlock device against Celso Sandoval Martinez, 48, in Yakima County Superior Court July 9. He is being held in lieu of $125,000 bail in the Yakima County jail.

Should he post bail, he is banned from leaving the state and must have a valid driver鈥檚 license and ignition interlock device if he drives. The device prevents the car from starting if the user is intoxicated.

Martinez has prior convictions for drunken driving in 2018 and 2019, and two pending cases in Yakima Municipal Court for driving with a suspended license and not having an ignition interlock in his car.

Prosecutors allege that Martinez was intoxicated when his SUV collided with a minivan on State Route 241 near Duffy Road July 2.

Witnesses told Washington State Patrol troopers that Martinez鈥檚 2004 Dodge Durango was traveling north and tried to pass a 2004 Chrysler Town and Country in a no-passing zone, and Martinez hit the minivan when the van made a left turn onto Duffy Road, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The minivan鈥檚 driver, Alejandro G. Armenta, 55, of Sunnyside, was taken to Astria Sunnyside Hospital where he was being treated for broken bones and injuries to his spleen, the affidavit said.

Martinez was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland for treatment of his injuries, the affidavit said. Martinez was not wearing a seat belt, while Armenta was, according to a State Patrol news release.

Troopers found open alcoholic beverage containers on the passenger seat and the passenger side floor of Martinez鈥� s SUV. Martinez鈥檚 breath smelled of alcohol at the hospital, the affidavit said, and he refused to take a preliminary breath test. After getting a search warrant, troopers obtained a sample of Martinez鈥檚 blood and sent it to the State Patrol鈥檚 crime lab for testing.