Broward County

Woman charged in New Year's crash on I-95 that killed Road Ranger pleads not guilty

An arraignment was held Wednesday morning for 45-year-old Latoya Hayes, who was arrested earlier this month on 20 charges including vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, DUI causing property damage and reckless driving causing property damage in the Jan. 1 crash that killed Road Ranger Jose Parra

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The woman accused of driving drunk and killing a Road Ranger on Interstate 95 in Hollywood on New Year’s Day has pleaded not guilty. An arraignment was held Wednesday morning for 45-year-old Latoya Hayes, who was arrested earlier this month on 20 charges including vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, DUI causing property damage and reckless driving causing property damage in the Jan. 1 crash that killed Road Ranger Jose Parra.

The woman accused of driving drunk and killing a Road Ranger on Interstate 95 in Hollywood on New Year's Day has pleaded not guilty.

An arraignment was held Wednesday morning for 45-year-old Latoya Hayes, who was arrested earlier this month on 20 charges including vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, DUI causing property damage and reckless driving causing property damage in the Jan. 1 crash that killed Road Ranger Jose Parra.

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Hayes refused to appear for the arraignment, where her attorney entered the not guilty plea on her behalf.

Latoya Hayes
Broward Sheriff's Office
Latoya Hayes

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Parra's family did attend the hearing and were overcome with emotion when the case was called.

Davorin Socho, Parra's stepfather, said the pain is still fresh but they're trusting the justice system.

"I feel so sad," Socho said. "I would like to say that people has to respect the law because for something like this I don’t know if there is a real word."

The crash happened shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 1 in the southbound lanes of I-95 at Hollywood Boulevard.

Authorities said Parra and two FHP troopers had responded to an earlier crash and were still at the scene in the southbound express lanes, with Parra outside his truck.

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According to an arrest affidavit, the FHP troopers' vehicles had their emergency blue lights activated, and Parra's Road Ranger truck, a Ford F-250, had its red and amber lights activated with a directional arrow board also activated.

Hayes, who was driving a 2012 BMW X6 in the southbound lanes, approached a Honda Accord that was also heading southbound.

The BMW was going at a higher rate of speed than the Accord and "began to careen out of control" and hit the Accord from behind, the affidavit said.

Hayes' BMW hit the concrete median wall before colliding with the Road Ranger truck, the FHP vehicles and hitting Parra.

Parra, a 28-year-old from Pembroke Pines, was killed at the scene. Two FHP troopers were hospitalized, along with a passenger in the Accord.

A trooper at the scene noticed Hayes had "an odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from her facial area as she spoke" and had "bloodshot red watery eyes," while a traffic homicide sergeant noted that she was "actively chewing gum in an attempt to conceal the odor of alcohol," the affidavit said.

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Two blood samples were taken from Hayes at 6:53 and 6:54 a.m., more than three hours after the crash, which showed she had a blood alcohol level of .168, more than twice Florida's legal limit of .08, the affidavit said.

Hayes also had a Florida license that had been expired in October of 2003, the affidavit said.

During a previous hearing for Hayes, a prosecutor said she'd been convicted in 2004 for driving with a license suspended, then convicted in 2005 for driving with an expired license and driving a vehicle without lights.

Also in 2005, Hayes was convicted in South Carolina for conspiracy to sell controlled substances, the prosecutor said.

Hayes has been ordered held without bond. Broward jail records also showed she has an immigration hold.

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