The daughter of a former Kenyan minister, Soita Shitanda, faces charges of vehicular homicide in Washington, USA, following a tragic incident that claimed two lives.
Candy Soita was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault for the crash that happened on June 2, westbound state Route 512 in Pierce County. The crash led to the deaths of Charles T Fairbairn, 29 of Georgia, and Wendell T Cerio, 22 of Arizona.
During her arraignment at Pierce County Superior Court on Wednesday, a plea of not guilty was entered on her behalf. Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set her bail at $500,000.
Soita, reportedly carrying her 19-month-old daughter in her car, was driving in the wrong direction on the road when her vehicle collided with another carrying three American soldiers, resulting in the loss of two lives in the collision.
She and her child sustained minor injuries, while the surviving soldier is currently recovering at a local hospital.
Prosecutors wrote that a trooper, upon contacting Soita at the hospital, noted the odor of intoxicants emanating from her breath, along with bloodshot and watery eyes. Allegedly, when questioned about her alcohol consumption, Soita counted to the number four using her fingers, claiming she was driving home.
Soita willingly submitted a Preliminary Breath Test sample measuring 0.097 approximately four hours following the accident, as indicated by documents.
As per Forbes, the legal limit stands at .08% nationwide. Exceeding this Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level implies presumption of intoxication in all states.
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