PORTALES, NM - A woman has been arrested in connection with a fatal wreck that occurred in Portales last week, reports Eastern New Mexico News.
The collision happened Friday night in the vicinity of West Second Street and South Avenue C. According to police, the driver of a bus or camper went through a red light and crashed into a northbound vehicle driven by 61-year-old Martha Polanco Lozano of Portales. Lozano was pronounced dead after being transported to an area hospital.
The vehicle involved fled the scene but the driver returned while police were still there, witnesses said. The driver, identified as 55-year-old Ayn Poitras of Wentworth, New Hampshire, submitted to a field sobriety test. Police said they detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage on her. Her vehicle was also reported to have front-end damage.
Poitras was subsequently arrested later that night and charged with homicide by motor vehicle. She was being held in the Roosevelt County Jail. The accident remains under investigation by Portales police.