Pinehill drunk driver charged with manslaughter

ALBUQUERQUE

A Pinehill, New Mexico man accused of killing two people in a car accident, Tuesday pled guilty in federal court to federal involuntary manslaughter charges.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Tracey Beaver, 38, admitted to killing two people by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol when he crashed his vehicle in Ramah, New Mexico.

According to Ramah Police and federal arrest records, the accident occurred about 2:58 p.m. on Sept. 9 in Pine Hill.

When tribal police arrived at the scene, they found two women lying near a white GMC Sierra pickup truck. Both had been ejected from the vehicle.

A New Mexico State Police accident reconstruction said the truck was traveling southbound on BIA 122 when the driver of the pickup, Beaver, overcorrected to the left, causing a counter-clockwise yaw.

This caused the vehicle to hit the eastern dirt shoulder, causing it to roll over one time and rest on the roof against the right-of-way fence.

While the two victims in the accident died at the scene, Beaver was transported to the Zuni Indian Hospital where he was given a breathalyzer test after he gave his consent.
The test returned a blood alcohol level of .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit of .08.

FBI agents said they talked to a witness, identified as only C.P., who said he knew the two victims.

C.P. told the FBI that earlier on the day of the accident, Beaver drove the two women in his pickup to Grants to buy beer and liquor.

He said at the time of the accident, Beaver was driving the two women aback to Pine Hill. All were drinking on the drive back.

The federal indictment said FBI agents first interviewed Beaver at the Zuni hospital at 8:25 p.m. on the day of the accident.

Beaver told an FBI agent that he had a chest pain and had had a lot to drink, so FBI agents decided to wait a couple of days before conducting the interview when he felt better.

Several minutes later, according to the criminal complaint against him, Beaver asked what charges had been filed against him. He was told that no federal charges had been filed and the agents were not aware of any tribal charges being filed either.

Beaver then asked if he had killed anyone.

“Shortly after this conversation, Beaver stopped and told a Ramah officer that he did not kill anyone,” the complaint said.

A couple of days later, he was charged with DWI and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

No formal sentencing date has been scheduled.

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