A Kona woman was arrested in Hilo Monday on negligent homicide charges stemming from a 2009 crash involving a car and a motorcycle.
A Kona woman was arrested in Hilo Monday on negligent homicide charges stemming from a 2009 crash involving a car and a motorcycle.
Veronica Mercado-Santana, 27, was picked up on an arrest warrant issued by District Court Judge Joseph Florendo, according to a Hawaii County Police Department spokeswoman. The woman was held at the Hilo cellblock over night and taken to Circuit Court on Tuesday.
The case was initially turned over to prosecutors on June 5, 2009, following the Feb. 6, 2009, death of 29-year-old Steven L. Carvalho of Kailua-Kona. Carvalho was killed when his 2003 Suzuki motorcycle traveling north on Kuakini Highway struck Mercado-Santana’s 2006 Toyota van traveling south after she allegedly failed to yield the right of way and made a left turn in front of him onto Hualalai Road.
Fire rescue personnel took Carvalho to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:28 p.m. He was not wearing a helmet. Mercado-Santana was not injured.