Driver pleads not guilty in fatal crash

Friday, July 9, 1999 | 10:18 a.m.

A Texas man has pleaded not guilty to drunken driving and a variety of other charges in a high-speed police chase that left a Las Vegas man dead and a police officer injured.

District Judge Jeff Sobel set a Nov. 15 trial date for Timothy Fonseca, who is being held on $1.25 million bail on the 13 charges that resulted from the June 1 collision at Pecos Road and Cheyenne Avenue.

In addition to DUI, the charges include involuntary manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, battery on a police officer and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle.

Deputy District Attorney James Hartsell said the incident began when a Metro Police officer tried to stop the driver of a speeding truck with Oregon license plates. The driver chose instead to flee at speeds up to 80 mph.

Hartsell said at a recent court hearing that the truck ran through one red light and was in the process of running another when it hit a Saturn driven by Dale Smithers.

The impact knocked the compact vehicle 290 feet and left Smithers dead at the scene.

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