Drunk driver involved in rollover charged with child abuse, police say

Police charged a Las Cruces man with DWI and child abuse after the man was involved in a single-vehicle rollover crash Sunday afternoon.

Christian Echavarria-Martinez, 29, of the 500 block of Villamora, is charged with one count of negligent child abuse and a misdemeanor count of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, police said.

The rollover happened at about 5:30 pm Sunday, February 11, 2018 on Highway 70 at Hollman Road.

Police said Echavarria-Martinez was driving a white Honda Civic with a 13-year-old passenger. As Echavarria-Martinez approached Hollman Road, he took the exit “but somehow lost control of the vehicle. It’s believed he overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll three times before coming to a rest on its roof,” police said in a news release.

Both the driver and the passenger were injured in the crash and transported to Mountainview Regional Medical Center. Police said their injuries were not life-threatening.

Back at the scene of the crash, investigators allegedly found several cans of beer. Police officials said officers also detected a strong odor of alcohol emitting from Echavarria-Martinez before he was transported to the hospital.

Echavarria-Martinez was not booked into the detention center because he was hospitalized, police said. “It’s likely he’ll receive a criminal summons to appear in court,” a news release states.