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A 23-year-old Vergennes man was killed early Sunday morning in a head-on crash on Ethan Allen Highway in Charlotte, according to Vermont State Police.
Police said David Santiago Quimbay Gonzalez was driving a 2009 Kia Rio southbound on Route 7 at about 5:14 a.m. when his vehicle crossed the center line into the northbound lane and struck a northbound 2025 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer head-on.
Quimbay Gonzalez, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington.
The operator of the tractor-trailer, Joseph Wesly, 39, of Milton, was wearing a seat belt and was evaluated at the scene.
Police said he did not report any injuries.
Both vehicles sustained disabling damage, with the Kia described as totaled.
The crash occurred near 3825 Ethan Allen Highway under clear weather and dry road conditions.
Vermont State Police were assisted by DMV Enforcement & Safety, Charlotte Fire and Rescue, Shelburne Fire and Rescue, Vergennes Rescue, and Ferrisburgh Fire Department.
A mailbox, a driveway, and a fourth DUI
A routine Sunday afternoon errand went sideways on Route 22A in Addison when a Middlebury-area man’s attempt to back into a driveway ended with a crumpled mailbox — and his fourth drunk driving arrest.
Troopers responded around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday to find Esteban Gutierrez, 37, of Shoreham behind the wheel of a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had clipped the mailbox while reversing. The crash itself was minor. What wasn’t minor was what came next.
Speaking with Gutierrez, troopers detected signs of impairment. He was screened on the spot, arrested, and transported to the New Haven Barracks — where the paperwork carried a charge that stood out: DUI number four.
Gutierrez was cited and released, with a court date set for June 1st at Addison County Superior Court, Criminal Division. No injuries were reported.
The weather was clear. The road was dry. The mailbox never had a chance.
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Categories: Police Blotter
Sited and released. I thought four was jail.
When are we going to start deporting these people before they kill more innocent American people. Democrats are domestic terrorist and they’re protecting these repeat offenders and illegals!
As much as I love humor, this DUI #4 case is no laughing matter. It’s literally deadly serious. If he is allowed to continue to be free without being put in jail for a considerable length of time, innocent people will not stand a chance. And that is nothing to joke about.
Anything past DUI #1 needs stringent penalties with mandatory jail time, or there is no deterrence. How is irresponsibly and recklessly getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle weighing several tons any different than going to a stadium or arena and randomly firing a rifle into the crowd?
It’s is appalling to me that prosecutors and judges are dropping the ball here because I know that the laws already on the books in Vermont call for much more severe penalties than are being administered.
As is the case prosecutors and judges being soft with criminals who violate probation and conditions of release, the courts are practically enticing them to continue to commit crimes and eventually kill someone. How many times have we read about it here in VDC?
Can we ever expect proper enforcement of serious DUI cases in Addison County with a prosecutor who is an offender-in-denial of her alcohol problem and who doesn’t get along well with police? As for the “accident” in Charlotte, the signs are already popping up to re-elect Sarah George, so, if you have a questionable immigration status or a hispanic name, you can expect velvet glove treatment for the “victimhood” you experience daily from an “uncaring and judgemental society”. I think it would be quite revealing and in the interest of public safety if all news organizations agreed to determine and publish the immigration status of criminal offenders and those involved in traffic mischief.