By SHARIF DURHAMS
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina)
LANDIS - Authorities were investigating Wednesday whether a Kannapolis police officer followed proper procedures in pursuing a driver whose Jeep crashed into the car of a pregnant Salisbury mother, killing her and her unborn child and injuring her 1-year-old daughter.
They also were trying to learn more about the man the officer was following.
The Kannapolis officer said he was following the driver -- but not chasing him -- just before the Tuesday afternoon wreck. But some witnesses disputed that, Landis police said.
Kannapolis Police Maj. Woody Chavis said his department hadn’t taken a stand on which account is accurate.
“We’re just trying to make sure we’ve got all of the facts correct,” Chavis said.
The red Jeep SUV, driven by Rigo Verto Guillen Martinez, 33, of Kannapolis, crashed into a white Saturn driven by Leeanna Newman, 20. Newman died in the wreck in Landis, a small Rowan County town that borders Kannapolis to the north.
Newman was eight months pregnant, and doctors tried but failed to save the unborn child, a family member said.
Newman’s 1-year-old daughter, Mallory, was treated and released.
Martinez was listed in fair condition at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte on Wednesday night.
Officers have heard conflicting stories from witnesses, Landis Police Chief Reggie Faggart said. Some said the Kannapolis officer was just behind the red Jeep he was pursuing, while others said he was several cars behind, investigators said.
Faggart said Martinez doesn’t have an N.C. driver’s license. He has a Mexico driver’s license, which Faggart said is not valid in North Carolina.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents called Landis police Wednesday and started investigating Martinez’s residency status.
Immigration agents had not made a determination by late Wednesday, agency spokesman Jeff Jordan said. Faggart’s department is leading the investigation. He said his officers spoke to Kannapolis patrol Officer David Horne at the accident scene.
Horne told Landis police he was responding to a domestic violence call near the town’s limits when residents told him a man was driving erratically through a nearby neighborhood, Faggart said.
Horne followed the Jeep into Landis, Faggart said. He told Landis police the Jeep repeatedly swerved into the oncoming lane, but the officer was several cars behind when the Jeep crashed head-on into Newman’s car, Faggart said.
Some witnesses said the Jeep was traveling 70 to 90 mph, Faggart said. A witness told Landis police the patrol car was going 50 mph, he said.
Kannapolis police haven’t questioned Horne, who was out of the office Wednesday, Chavis said. Horne, 38, has been with the Kannapolis Police Department for eight years.
“He’s no rookie,” Chavis said.
Couple returned home in 2006
Newman attended A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis and met her future husband, Brad Newman, there, said her aunt Lisa Codespot.
The couple moved to Michigan and married about a year ago, Codespot said. The two just moved back to the Kannapolis area last month and were starting to search for a house.
Leeanna Newman had sent out invitations to a baby shower last week, Codespot said.
Leeanna Newman had left her mother’s house minutes before the crash occurred Tuesday. She was on her way to pick up her husband from work, the aunt said.
Codespot said family members wanted to know whether Horne was chasing Martinez and about Martinez’s legal status.
“We realize nothing can change what happened, but it does concern us,” Codespot said. “A high-speed chase in that area would have been dangerous.”
The family has set up a trust fund in Mallory’s name. Contributions can be made at Wachovia Bank branches.