Manslaughter charges filed after deadly South Lake Tahoe accident
Submitted by paula on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 7:56pm
A South Lake Tahoe woman was arrested on Wednesday, April 8, on manslaughter charges stemming from a November, 2014 accident on Pioneer Trail where speed and alcohol were involved.
Olga Pena Arce was 20-years old at the time of the November 24 accident that occured when the car she was driving at a high rate of speed down Pioneer Trail crashed, resulting in the death of passenger Aimee Campos, 21, also of South Lake Tahoe. Arce had a blood alcohol level in excess of .08%.
Arce was injured in the accident as was a second passenger, Wayne Walker, 25, of Sacramento.
The arrest comes as the South Lake Tahoe Police Department wrapped up their four month investigation of the accident.
At 4:30 a.m. on November 24th, police responded to the area of Pioneer Trail and Edna Street to investigate the fatal collision. The investigation revealed that Arce was driving her 2000 Saturn sedan on Pioneer Trail at a speed in excess of 77-miles-per-hour. The speed limit in the area is 35 mph.
Arce lost control of her vehicle. It began to rotate counter-clockwise and entered into a broadside skid as it slid westbound on Pioneer Trail. As the Saturn continued to slide, it crossed over into the eastbound lane of Pioneer Trail. The front of end of the car then left the southern roadway edge of Pioneer Trail and traveled across an area of large rocks at the intersection of Edna Street. As it did, the tire and rim of the vehicle came off and the car struck a stop sign and bike route sign, dislodging them from the ground. As the Saturn continued to slide, it crossed over Edna Street. Its right side struck a large, wood retaining wall on the west shoulder of Edna Street. This caused major damage to the right side of the car, where Aimee Campos had been seat-belted into her passenger seat. Aimee Campos died as a result of injuries sustained in this collision. The impact caused an imprint of the right rear wheel and lug nuts on the retaining wall. Arce's car then bounced off of the retaining wall and rotated clockwise until it came to rest. The rear passenger, Wayne Walker, was ejected from the vehicle upon impact and was discovered lying in the roadway on Edna Street. He was hospitalized, but survived the collision. Arce also sustained significant injuries in the crash and was hospitalized until she recovered enough to be released.
The El Dorado County Superior Court issued a felony arrest warrant for Arce on Wednesday. At 5:00 p.m. on the same date, South Lake Tahoe Police Officers arrested Arce at her local residence without incident. Arce is facing charges for Gross Vehicular Manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI with a .08% Blood Alcohol Level or greater causing injury.
Both the deceased and driver attended South Tahoe High and work at Fatburger inside Harrah's Tahoe.
She is currently being held at the El Dorado County Jail with a $250,000 bail.
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