Driver, 23, cited in fatal I-25 crash in Las Cruces

March 15--LAS CRUCES -- A New Mexico State Police officer has issued citations against the 23-year-old driver involved in a fatal, single-vehicle crash last month on Interstate 25 in Las Cruces, court records show.

Adam C. Spaulding, of the 2300 block of Stern Drive, was cited for reckless driving, no seatbelts and no insurance -- all petty misdemeanors -- according documents filed Feb. 29 in Doña Ana County Magistrate Court.

State police said Spaulding and his 24-year-old sister, Jessica D. Sanchez, were traveling northbound on I-25 in a white 2006 Honda Civic when Spaulding struck a concrete barrier in a construction zone near mile marker 2 around 5 a.m. Feb. 28.

An incident report released Friday by state police suggests Sanchez, a mother of two, was found unconscious with severe lacerations and internal injuries, including broken bones. She was pronounced dead at 6:36 a.m. at University Medical Center in El Paso, where she was airlifted after the crash, the report says.

The report also confirmed that Spaulding and Sanchez were siblings.

State Police officer Gustavo Avina was dispatched to the crash scene at 5:02 a.m., according to the report. On arrival, the officer noted the vehicle was positioned in a southwest direction, blocking the northbound lane. The vehicle had "heaving front end damage consistent to impacting a concrete divider at possibly full speed," the report says. The speed in the construction zone was 45 mph.

There were no visible brake marks on the road "prior to the impact," the officer wrote in the report.

Avina wrote he later traveled to UMC in El Paso. There, he was informed by medical personnel that Spaudling had "sustained several broken bones, head and internal injuries."

Because of his injuries, Spaulding was unable to give a complete statement at the crash scene, the report says.

According to the officer, Spaulding said he and Sanchez "were coming from a night club called Epic in El Paso and they were heading home." The officer then asked Spaulding if he had been drinking alcohol before the crash, and Spaulding "stated he did not remember anything else," the report says.

However, a Las Cruces police officer who also responded to the crash, told Avina that "he was able to detect an odor of intoxicating beverage coming from the driver's mouth," the report says.

Spaulding, who was unable to perform sobriety tests due to his injuries, allowed medical personnel to perform a blood draw before being transported to El Paso. Results from the blood draw will determine his blood-alcohol content and could take four weeks or longer to complete, a state police spokeswoman previously said.

The report released Friday included five offenses, including homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. But those charges have not been filed, and it remains unclear whether they will be warranted.

A state police spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for additional comments on Monday.

Spaulding has been ordered to appear for arraignment on March 24 before Judge Conrad Perea in Magistrate Court, records show.

Petty misdemeanors are punishable by up to six months in jail.

Carlos Andres López can be reached 575-541-5453, carlopez@lcsun-news.com or @carlopez_los on Twitter.

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