Driver charged with DWI, child abuse following Fourth of July crash
As many were celebrating America’s independence, New Mexico State Police were responding to a rollover crash in rural San Miguel County.
Around 9:30 p.m. on July 4, officers were called to a single-vehicle crash on a remote stretch of State Road 283, south of Las Vegas. Officers found a silver SUV flipped on its side near milepost 6. Police say the driver, 29-year-old Alexander C. Crowell of Las Vegas, admitted to drinking two beers earlier in the evening, and to smoking marijuana.
Crowell was later booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center, charged with four felony counts of child abuse, misdemeanor aggravated DWI, and other charges.
Police say Crowell had four passengers in the SUV, all under the age of 18. Police believe the oldest child had been sitting in the front passenger seat and was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash; however, police say three children in the back seat were not wearing restraints. According to an NMSP report, the seat belts were retracted “indicating the seat belts were not buckled at the time of the crash.”
NMSP spokesman Dusty Francisco told the Optic that one child sustained minor injuries, but none of the children required serious medical treatment.
“The children were not transported to a hospital, but released to a family member,” Francisco said.
According to the police report, Crowell failed a field sobriety test and was transported to Alta Vista Regional Hospital for a medical evaluation. Police say an officer asked Crowell several times for consent to perform an alcohol breath test, but Crowell would not answer the officer.
After being medically cleared, Crowell was booked into SMCDC in the early hours of July 5, charged with misdemeanor aggravated DWI for refusing to be tested, and with four counts of felony child abuse. He was also cited for careless driving, and issued three citations for not properly restraining a child in a vehicle.
Crowell has a number of traffic violations dating back to 2010, and in 2015, Crowell pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as part of a plea agreement to avoid additional charges. However, the court determined he’d twice violated the terms of his probation, once for attempting to purchase alcohol.
Following his arrest for the Fourth of July rollover crash, Crowell’s bond was set at $20,000, and as of this writing, he was still in custody at SMCDC.
At a Wednesday appearance in San Miguel Magistrate Court, Crowell and his public defender waived the right to a preliminary hearing, which will likely send the case to trial.
A trial date or further court appearances have not been scheduled.
