The family of a 54-year-old man killed last year in a head-on, alcohol-related collision has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the other car and her parents.
Christine Meneses is suing Elizabeth Tuccini on behalf of her siblings and grandmother, according to the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Pima County Superior Court.
Tuccini, 22, was found guilty of negligent homicide two weeks ago in the December 2008 death of Marco Salazar.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Victoria Otto presented evidence Tuccini was drunk and driving at a high speed when she collided head-on with Salazar two miles north of the Marana Road exit on the Interstate 10 frontage road.
Tuccini's blood alcohol level was 0.157 about 90 minutes after the crash; the legal limit in Arizona is 0.08.
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Tuccini admitted to authorities she'd mixed a pint of Jägermeister with Red Bull before getting behind the wheel of her pickup.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Meneses' behalf by attorney Kevin Moore, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Tuccini and her parents, whose car she was driving.
Kim Smith
DPS seizes pot loads totaling over 1,300 lbs.
A pair of marijuana seizures in Cochise County netted more than 1,300 pounds of contraband Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
A DPS officer discovered 1,222 pounds of marijuana in a compartment underneath a flatbed truck that had been stopped for making an unsafe lane change on Arizona 90 south of Benson at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to a DPS news release.
The two men who were in the flatbed fled into the desert after being pulled over and could not be found, DPS said.
DPS officers also discovered 97 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of a 1996 Toyota Camry that had been pulled over for following too closely on Interstate 10 west of Benson just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, DPS said.
The vehicle's driver, 25-year-old Michael Florez, was driving on a suspended license and was booked into the Sierra Vista jail on suspicion of possession of marijuana and suspicion of transportation of marijuana for sale, DPS said.
Brian J. Pedersen
2 jailed in bank heist on northeast side
Tucson police arrested two men Tuesday in connection with a northeast-side bank robbery earlier that day.
JuJuan M. Gibson, 20, and Danny J. Simmons, 23, were booked into the Pima County jail on two counts each of suspicion of armed robbery, suspicion of aggravated robbery and suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to a Tucson Police Department news release.
A bank robbery was reported around 4:15 p.m. at a Compass Bank branch within the Albertson's grocery store at 6660 E. Tanque Verde Road, the release said.
Witnesses said two men had robbed the bank at gunpoint and left after getting an undisclosed amount of money, the release said.
Detectives were given a description of the getaway car, and it was found unoccupied near East Pima Street and North Rook Avenue, the release said.
Gibson and Simmons were taken into custody about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at an address associated with the vehicle, the release said.
Brian J. Pedersen
Tubac man, 41, dies after motorcycle crash
A 41-year-old Tubac man died Monday from injuries received in a motorcycle accident over the weekend just off Interstate 19 south of Amado, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
Martin Petersen was found lying unresponsive on the I-19 frontage road by two Border Patrol agents at 3:10 a.m. Saturday, said Officer Quent Mehr, a DPS spokesman.
Petersen's motorcycle was lying on its side in the middle of the road, Mehr said.
No cause has been determined for the crash. No evidence was found indicating the motorcycle was run off the road or had made any type of evasive maneuver before the crash, Mehr said.
It appears Petersen was not wearing a helmet, Mehr said.
Brian J. Pedersen
City panel to discuss race, justice system
The Tucson Police Department and the city of Tucson's Office of the Independent Police Auditor are hosting a public forum Thursday to discuss the impact of race on policing the criminal justice system.
Representatives from local law enforcement agencies and court systems have been invited as panel members for the event, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at Pima College's West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road.
The forum is free and open to the public. For information call 791-4593 or 791-4441.
