A 22-year-old man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he committed gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, in connection with a fatal Interstate 5 crash in November.
Martin Enrique Cazares, a Wasco resident, was held to answer earlier this month regarding a charge connected to the death of 60-year-old Bulmaro Chavez on Nov. 8.
Chavez was pronounced dead at the scene, and Judge Michael Terrell held Cazares to answer to the allegations in Chavez’s death after his July 2 preliminary hearing.
During that hearing, a witness described driving north on Interstate 5, near Templin Highway, when the driver saw Cazares’ car racing by, just moments before the collision.
Chavez was ejected from his white Jeep Grand Cherokee and found by passing motorists, where Cazares was also seen, pulled over to the side of the highway.
Cazares exhibited slurred speech and watery eyes, and emitted a smell of alcohol, according to testimony from California Highway Patrol Officer Carlos Madera, who was the first to respond to the crash that night.
Cazares told the officer he had consumed a “BeatBox,” a half-liter 22-proof alcohol beverage. He ultimately exhibited several signs of intoxication, and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.123, past the legal limit of .08, according to testimony from the one-day hearing.
Cazares remains free on bond while awaiting trial. He’s due back at the San Fernando Courthouse on Sept. 15.
Chavez, who also went by Jose Bulmaro Alvarez, was a beloved father, according to an online fundraising page created by friends of the family, who are raising support to help them through a difficult time.
