LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas woman accused of driving under the influence before hitting and killing a motorcyclist and leaving the crash scene had a history of drug and alcohol misuse, police wrote in an arrest report.
Officers arrested Roseanne Jones, 45, on DUI-related charges after the deadly crash on Oct. 7.
Just before 10 p.m., police received several 911 calls about a crash on Lamb Boulevard and Moonlite Drive involving a motorcycle and a white vehicle.
Police and medical personnel found the motorcyclist, 54-year-old Ruben Cuevas, lying on the road and not moving. He was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition and was pronounced deceased shortly after.
A man later told police he was in a Dodge Caravan driven by Jones when the car crashed with Cuevas. He said Jones was driving the two of them back to her house after getting supplies at a store, the report said.
He told police they were driving northbound on Lamb when Jones made a sudden left turn onto Moonlite. When she turned, the car crossed into Cuevas’ path and crashed into the motorcycle, according to the report.
Police who examined the scene later said Cuevas was unable to stop and his motorcycle was overturned in the crash.
The man told police that they both got out of the car to check on Cuevas when Jones “began stating that she didn’t have a driver’s license and became very unstable.” He said that “Jones started acting anxious, got back into the Dodge, and left,” according to the report.
The man also told police in a statement that Jones was “acting erratic” and “had a history of methamphetamine, marijuana, and alcohol abuse,” the report said.
The man stayed with Cuevas until police arrived.
A witness who lives near the intersection of Lamb and Moonlite told police she heard a loud sound and looked out the window, where she saw a woman standing next to a minivan by a man lying by a motorcycle. The witness said she heard to woman yell “he cut me off, he saw me coming,” before getting into the minivan and driving away, according to the report.
When police arrived at Jones’ address at around 10:25 p.m., they saw a Dodge Caravan parked outside with “fresh damage to the passenger side,” the report said. Nobody answered when they knocked on the door.
Officers had had personal contact with Jones in the past and already had her phone number, but she did not answer their calls or texts, the report said.
At around 10:53 p.m., Jones called police and told them she was at a nearby store, where officers drove to meet her.
Officers said that Jones was showing signs of impairment and failed field sobriety tests, according to the report.
Jones was charged with DUI resulting in death, failing to stop at the scene of an accident involving death or injury, and reckless driving resulting in death. She was being held at the Clark County Detention Center on Thursday.
She is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 26.
