Local News in Brief : Sylmar Man Arraigned in Fatal Head-On Crash
A Sylmar man was charged Thursday with two counts of second-degree murder, four days after his car struck a van head-on near Val Verde, killing an Arcadia couple and injuring their two sons, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office also charged Luis F. Moraza, 44, with five counts of felony drunk driving.
The accident occurred Sunday on California 126 as Catherine Jones, 42, her husband, James, 44, and their two children were on their way to pick up a third son from summer camp, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Witnesses said that Moraza was eastbound on the highway at speeds up to 75 m.p.h. when his car veered onto the right shoulder then swerved back into oncoming traffic, according to the CHP.
A Sept. 3 preliminary hearing was scheduled after Moraza pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment Thursday in Newhall Municipal Court. He is in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail.
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