S.F. Surgeon Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal DWI [Albuquerque Journal, N.M.]

Jan. 04--SANTA FE -- A Santa Fe doctor on Tuesday entered a not-guilty plea at her first court appearance since her arrest on a vehicular homicide charge for allegedly driving drunk in a crash that took the life of a 4-year-old girl.

Former Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center surgeon Deborah Aaron -- who told an officer that she had consumed some wine -- took a breath test after the Friday night accident that showed her blood-alcohol content was at or above the legal limit, according to a police statement filed in court.

She also failed a field sobriety test, smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot, watery eyes, says an officer's probable cause statement for her arrest.

But police still aren't able to provide details about the wreck and say they continue to investigate which driver in the two-vehicle crash had the right of way.

The probable cause statement provides only a few words about Aaron's version of the accident. Aaron told police she believed the other driver in the crash -- Carla Vasquez Rivera -- ran a red light "because her's (Aaron's) was green."

Aaron was traveling south on St. Francis, and Vasquez Rivera -- the mother of the child who was killed -- was eastbound on Siringo Road when Aaron's 2004 Land Rover T-boned Vasquez Romero's minivan shortly before 11 p.m. Friday.

Santa Fe police have released no other information about whether speed was a factor, whether someone ran a red light or whether another traffic violation played a role.

"At least on first reading, it didn't say anything pertaining to causation," Dan Cron, Aaron's attorney, said of the probable cause statement.

Santa Fe police Capt. Aric Wheeler said "police are still investigating a number of different contributing factors, to include which driver had the right of way."

Four-year-old Juliana Reyes Vasquez was pronounced dead early Saturday. Her mother and Juliana's 3-year-old sister, Yeretez Jasmine Reyes Vasquez, were hospitalized. The surviving child was released from University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque on Saturday, and the mother is in stable condition in Santa Fe, according to Wheeler.

Meanwhile, an online records search found that Aaron has been disciplined by medical boards in Arizona, Alaska and California, Journal North reported.

In Alaska, she received five years of probation, a reprimand and a $5,000 fine ($4,500 suspended) in 2002 for writing prescriptions for controlled substances for someone with whom she had a personal relationship, and was not a patient, according to a memorandum of agreement with the Alaska Medical Board. Those prescriptions included one for 50 Roxicet, a narcotic pain reliever, and four others for a total 115 Lorazepam, an anti-anxiety drug, according to that record.

Aaron also faced disciplinary action in California based on the Alaska events, which led to her agreement in 2003 to not renew her expired license and not to practice medicine in California, according to medical board records. The California board, upon her appeal for re-licensure, then reinstated her license in 2008 with requirements that she complete courses in ethics and prescribing practices.

The California findings also referenced a case in Arizona, where Aaron also was licensed to practice. In 2004, she entered into a consent agreement for a letter of reprimand and agreed that sufficient evidence existed to find she failed to meet the standard of care for two surgeries in 1997.

In regaining her California license, Aaron admitted to "extremely poor judgment" on prescribing to a friend, but noted he did not have insurance and his only access to medical care was at a Veterans' Administration hospital three hours away. She said it was an isolated incident, and her former friend is the one who reported her to the medical board in Alaska when she ended their relationship.

The California findings referring to the Arizona issues noted, "She feels the quality of care issues in these two cases were due to the fact that she was a young doctor and somewhat arrogant and overconfident ... Petitioner is now a different, more thoughtful and mature surgeon."

Aaron received her New Mexico medical license in 2005 and no public board actions have been taken against her here, according to the New Mexico Medical Board's website.

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1/1/12 -- Surgeon Charged With DWI After Collision Kills Girl, 4

By Vic Vela/Journal Staff Writer

SANTA FE -- About four years ago, a doctor probably helped Juliana Reyes Vasquez into the world.

Now, a doctor is accused of ending her life.

Juliana, 4, died early Saturday morning, about two hours after an alleged drunken driver struck a minivan at a Santa Fe intersection that carried the child, her 3-year-old sister Yeretez Jasmine Reyes Vasquez and their mother, Carla Vasquez Rivera. Mother and sister were both injured, but survived.

Deborah Aaron, a former surgeon at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center who currently has ties to Doctors Without Borders, is accused of being drunk behind the wheel of the SUV that T-boned the Rivera Vasquez family's minivan.

Aaron, 56, is a New York University graduate who attended medical school at UCLA, according to information from her Facebook page. The doctor was booked without bond into the Santa Fe County jail early Saturday on charges of DWI and vehicular homicide.

"I think it's just horrible," said Santa Fe Police Capt. George Ortiz. "All the announcements telling people not to drive drunk. ... It's just a terrible thing that a young life was lost, (especially) if in fact it was because of alcohol."

The wreck occurred at about 11 p.m. Friday at the intersection of St. Francis Drive and Siringo Road. Vasquez Rivera and her daughters were traveling east on Siringo in their green 2002 minivan when, police believe, Vasquez Rivera attempted to turn north onto St. Francis. The minivan was struck by a southbound 2004 green Land Rover driven by Aaron, according to Ortiz.

When police arrived at the scene, Aaron "exhibited signs of impairment," Ortiz said. Field sobriety tests were conducted, but the police captain said he didn't know how Aaron performed, saying only that the arresting officers felt there was "probable cause to believe that she was impaired."

Ortiz said police found no incriminating debris, such as open alcohol containers, at the scene. Both Aaron and Vasquez Rivera agreed to blood draws after the crash. Results of those blood draws are pending.

Both girls were in the back seat and in car seats at the time of the crash, and both drivers were wearing seatbelts, according to police.

Juliana and her mother were taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, where the child was pronounced dead a short time later. Vasquez Rivera was in serious condition Saturday morning, according to hospital spokesman Arturo Delgado.

Yeretez was also taken Christus St. Vincent but later airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital. Ortiz said Saturday the transfer was only for "precautionary reasons." The little girl was in stable condition Saturday evening, and her injuries have been deemed non-life threatening, according to the police captain.

Attempts to reach the Vasquez Rivera family were unsuccessful Saturday.

About three years ago, Aaron worked as a surgeon at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, according to Delgado, who was unable Saturday to provide information about the circumstances that led to Aaron's leaving the hospital.

According to her Facebook page, Aaron recently traveled with a Doctors Without Borders team to Africa. In November, she posted a photograph to her page that showed her and others affiliated with the humanitarian organization on a trip to Libya.

A phone call placed to a Doctors Without Borders spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

The new owner of Aaron's former residence in downtown Santa Fe said that it was his understanding that Aaron was in between projects and had "just come back from assignment from Africa."

"She seemed like a very generous and considerate person," the new owner of the property said. "But that's just based on ten minutes worth of conversations."

Suggested Reading:

-- Plea: Not Guilty In Girl's Fatal Wreck 01/04/2012

-- Surgeon Charged With DWI After Collision Kills Girl, 4 01/01/2012

-- Updated: ABQ Woman Pleads Guilty in Fatal Shooting of Boyfriend 02/16/2011

-- UPDATED: Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal DWI Crash 09/16/2010

-- Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling, Illegal Reentry 02/09/2011

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