Jean Ervin Soriano, Accused of Killing Five in Nevada DUI Crash, Escaped Santa Ana Lockup


Jean Ervin Soriano, the 18-year-old DUI driver accused of causing a crash that killed five people in Nevada, escaped March 1 from the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana, according to a television news report.

Further details on how Soriano managed to leave the juvenile-detention facility have not been released, the station adds.
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KTLA Morning News just reported on the development.

Soriano was driving a Dodge Durango that rear-ended a minivan on I-15 about 30
miles south of Mesquite around 3
a.m. Saturday. Most of the seven passengers inside the minivan were thrown from the vehicle as it overturned.

All five who died were from Southern California: Genaro Fernandez, 41, of Norwalk;
Raudel Fernandez-Avila, 49, and Belen Fernandez, 53, of Lynwood; and
Leonardo Fernandez-Avila, 45, and Angela Sandoval, 13, of Los Angeles. A 15-year-old boy and 40-year-old woman survived the accident.

Soriano, who was treated and released from a hospital for injuries suffered in the crash, is accused of telling an arresting Nevada state trooper he had “too many” beers before the crash. Investigators say numerous beer bottles were found in the Durango.

He was booked on seven
counts of driving under the influence as well as driving without a
license and failing to reduce speed that, with a conviction, could send him to prison for eight to 20 years.

A prison that would be presumably more difficult to walk away from.

Soriano, who is being held on $3.5 million bail, has a Wednesday court date.

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