Update: Arizona man jailed after semitrailer crash near Eagle kills a Meridian man
An Idaho man is dead and an Arizona man is in jail after a fatal crash near Eagle on Wednesday night.
Cecilio Eliut Camacho-Montoya, 32, was booked into the Ada County Jail at around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday on felony counts of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence, according to a news release from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched at 8:40 p.m. after reports that a semitrailer hit a vehicle near the intersection of Idaho 55 and Idaho 44 in northern Ada County, not far from Eagle. When they arrived, deputies found a semi was driving south on Idaho 55 when it reportedly went through a red light and struck a pickup truck headed east on Idaho 44.
The Sheriff’s Office described the force of the crash as “significant,” adding that the semi “split apart” and hit several concrete barriers before it stopped.
Investigators say the driver of the pickup was thrown from his vehicle during the crash. He was rushed to the Saint Alphonsus Eagle Health Plaza, where he later died.
On Thursday afternoon, the Ada County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased as Connor Dale Holcomb, 22, of Meridian. Holcomb died at around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to the coroner.
Deputies said that they spoke with Camacho-Montoya, a resident of Arizona, and that he smelled of alcohol. He told deputies he “had a few beers earlier,” according to the release.
Camacho-Montoya failed field sobriety tests and registered a blood alcohol content of .22, nearly three times the legal limit, deputies said.
Camacho-Montoya was still in jail Thursday morning and was scheduled for an initial court appearance Thursday afternoon.
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 12:18 PM.
