VALE – A Las Vegas woman has been indicted on charges stemming from a head-on crash south of Jordan Valley that killed a California man in August.
A Malheur County grand jury Thursday indicted Jaila Aguilera-Pinder, 19, for first- and second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide. She also faces misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree assault and reckless driving.
Victor Dunkelberger, 33, of Rocklin, Calif., died in the Aug. 11 crash.
An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Aguilera-Pinder, with bail set at $500,000, said Dave Goldthorpe, Malheur County district attorney. As of Tuesday morning, she had not been arrested.
“The grand jury believed it was a criminal act that caused the death,” said Goldthorpe.
The Oregon State Police said Dunkelberger died when his 2014 Ford Escape was struck by a 2005 Ford Focus operated by Aguilera-Pinder. Police said Dunkelberger’s car was southbound when Aguilera-Pinder, driving north, attempted to pass a vehicle in a no-passing zone about 29 miles north of McDermitt. Goldthorpe said Aguilera-Pinder did not have a driver’s license at the time of the crash.
Two passengers riding with Dunkelburger – Anya Anderson, 27, also of Rocklin, and Dunkelburger’s minor daughter – were injured in the crash and transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Aguilera-Pinder and a passenger, Keilin Alfonso-Vaquero, 25, also of Las Vegas, were injured and taken to Saint Alphonsus.
What happens next, Goldthorpe said, is up to Las Vegas police and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada. If police arrest Aguilera-Pinder, she will be extradited to Malheur County, he said.
Dunkelburger’s brother, Jason, said the family is relieved to hear of the charges.
“We are all still trying to get over it,” he said.