Woman Accused Of Crashing Vehicle While Intoxicated, Pregnant: PD

STAMFORD, CT — A woman accused of crashing a car while intoxicated and eight months pregnant last year, which resulted in the death of an unborn baby, was arrested over the weekend, according to police.

Sgt. Jeffrey Booth said the crash occurred at Cummings Park on June 13, around 10:30 p.m. (To sign up for Stamford breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

According to Booth, a 2005 Nissan Altima crashed into a stone wall at the park after the driver failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed inside the park at the time, Booth said.

When officers arrived at the park, they found the vehicle empty and could not locate the driver or any other occupants, Booth said.

Shortly after the crash, officers responded to Fairfield Avenue after receiving a report of a woman who had been injured in a car crash in the area, Booth said.

"Upon investigating, it was determined that this woman was the operator of the Nissan that had crashed inside Cummings Park," Booth said in a news release. "She was transported to Stamford Hospital due to being eight months pregnant, injuries suffered in the crash and being intoxicated."

According to Booth, the department's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad (CARS) was notified a few days after the crash that the driver, who was identified as Karen Chavez-Euceda, 36, had "given birth to a stillborn baby that was deemed to have been killed in the collision."

CARS officers later obtained search warrants for the results of Chavez-Euceda's toxicological tests from the night she was brought into Stamford Hospital.

According to Booth, Chavez-Euceda's blood alcohol content was found to be 0.27 percent, "more than three times the legal limit."

Chavez-Euceda initially denied being the driver of the vehicle and indicated someone else had been driving, Booth said, but officers determined she was the driver and only person in the car.

"Upon discussing the case with prosecutors from the Stamford State's Attorney's Office," Booth said, "it was found that there is [state] case law that would not allow them to prosecute Ms. Chavez-Euceda for anything involving the death of the fetus."

Chavez-Euceda was arrested Saturday on a warrant, Booth said. She was charged with operating under the influence, evading responsibility, interfering with police and failure to maintain lane.

According to Booth, the length of time between the crash and the arrest was due to some delays getting evidence up to the state lab and the time it took to receive results back.

He also noted officers attempted to get DNA evidence, which was ultimately inconclusive but required obtaining multiple search warrants.

"It's not completely out of the ordinary to take this long to close a case," Booth said in an email to Patch, "it all depends on the complexity of the investigation."

Chavez-Euceda was later released after posting a $5,000 court-set bond and is scheduled for arraignment in the spring, Booth said.