Charges are moving forward for a Green River man charged in the deaths of two people after driving a vehicle into a residence earlier this month.
George Eluid Maestas, 68 of Green River, waived his right to a preliminary hearing today. The hearing was initially scheduled to take place in Green River Circuit Court at 2:30 p.m. today.
Waiving the hearing moves the felony charges forward to District Court where Maestas will appear for an arraignment to enter a plea. The arraignment will take place on a later date.
Maestas faces charges of two counts of Aggravated Homicide by Vehicle and one count of Driving Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance Causing Serious Bodily Injury. If convicted on all counts, Maestas faces a maximum penalty of up to 50 years imprisonment and a $25,000 fine.
Maestas is charged in the deaths of one-year-old Stella Doak and her great-grandmother, 62-year-old Debra DeVries. He is also charged with seriously injuring Frank Johnson.
The charges stem from an incident on March 10, 2017 when a vehicle Maestas was allegedly operating drove into a residence at 695 Evers Street in Green River.
According to court documents, responding officers noted that Maestas seemed disoriented and confused with blood-shot eyes, slurred speech, and poor balance. Officers did not observe alcohol on Maestas’ breath and believed he was under the influence of something other than alcohol. A Drug Recognition Expert evaluated Maestas and reported that he believed Maestas was under the influence of a narcotic analgesic at the time of the crash.
Maestas is currently being held at the Sweetwater County Detention Center on a $1 million cash or commercial surety bond.
