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Driver accused of fatally striking officer had high blood-alcohol level, his lawyer says Driver accused of fatally striking officer had high blood-alcohol level, his lawyer says
(about 3 hours later)
Luis Reluzco, the motorist charged in the death of a Montgomery County police officer working on DUI enforcement, had a blood-alcohol level reading of 0.22 the night of the crash, nearly three times the legal limit, his attorney said Friday. Luis Reluzco pulled out of the Hooters parking lot, turned right, and headed up Rockville Pike toward the flashing lights of a police car. His blood-alcohol content would later be tested at 0.22 and show signs of Xanax, according to his attorney, nearly three times the legal alcohol limit.
Reluzco, 47, also was found to have the drug Alprazolam, often known by a brand name Xanax, in his system, said the lawyer, John Roth. He added that it was his understanding that Reluzco had a prescription for the drug. The high alcohol content, detailed in court and expected to be shared also at a news conference Friday afternoon, is the latest detail to surface in the high-profile case against Reluzco, 47, who was arrested Thursday for vehicular manslaughter in the death of a 24-year-old police officer, Noah Leotta.
The officer killed, Noah Leotta, 24, had been working on a special task force designed to get drunk drivers off the road. Reluzco, of Olney, is due in court at 1:30 p.m. Friday to have the terms of his bond reviewed. Officials also have scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference to discuss the case. Leotta had been working on a special task force designed to get drunk drivers off the road.
Reluzco turned himself in to authorities on Thursday after being indicted on a charge of vehicular manslaughter. Roth called him “a very good person who was involved in a very bad thing.” Central to the narrative as it moves forward is how intoxicated Reluzco was, and how investigators believe he came to strike Leotta’s car and then strike the Montgomery County officer.
[Driver who hit officer charged with vehicular manslaughter] Based on reports and interviews, the investigators’ case is taking this shape:
On Dec. 3, after drinking at a Hooters bar and restaurant on Rockville Pike, Reluzco drove north, police said. Ahead of him, on Rockville Pike, Leotta had pulled over a different car, had his lights flashing, and was out of his police car. Roth said that according to what he was told, investigators think Reluzco was driving in the same lane, tried to veer to the left, but instead struck the rear corner of the officer’s car and then struck the officer. As Reluzco drove north on Rockville Pike, Leotta was outside his cruiser, having pulled over another car, spoken with that driver, and put that driver’s license in his uniform pocket to keep his hands free, according to a police spokesman.
Leotta started walking back to his police cruiser, which he had parked in the far-right lane — angled in a way that offered him some protection. He had also pulled his car over on a slight incline, in a manner that cars approaching from behind could see its lights from a long distance.
“As far as positioning his car, it was textbook,” said Capt. Paul Starks, the county police spokesman.
As Leotta walked around the front corner of his car and opened his door, he was briefly exposed to traffic coming from behind him.
It was at that moment that Reluzco, who was in the same far-right lane as the police car, tried to veer to his left, investigators say. But for some reason — most likely a slow reaction time, police said — Reluzco didn’t veer wide enough.
Reluzco’s Honda SUV struck the rear corner of the police car, scraped along its side, and slammed into Leotta, who was trapped in the open door.
“Investigators believe that due to Reluzco’s extreme intoxication, he was unable to react to the situation he was bearing down on,” Starks said. “He was cognitively and physically incapable to execute a single lane change.”
Leotta was rushed to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, where he died on Dec. 10.Leotta was rushed to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, where he died on Dec. 10.
The friendly, well-liked officer is survived by his parents and sister.The friendly, well-liked officer is survived by his parents and sister.
In Maryland, drivers tested at blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher are considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol. Officials at Mothers Against Drunk Driving say that, on average, a 160-pound man who drinks four beers in one hour gets to 0.08. Reluzco turned himself in to authorities Thursday after being indicted on a charge of vehicular manslaughter. His attorney, John Roth, called him “a very good person who was involved in a very bad thing.”
Roth said that Reluzco had drunk beer and whiskey at Hooters. Roth said he intends to probe the accuracy and techniques used in blood tests that yielded the 0.22 reading. But the attorney also said his client is remorseful about what happened. [Driver who hit officer charged with vehicular manslaughter]
“There are no excuses; he makes no excuses,” Roth said Thursday. In Maryland, drivers tested at a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher are considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol. Officials at Mothers Against Drunk Driving say that, on average, a 160-pound man who drinks four beers in one hour gets to 0.08.
Prosecutor Bryan Roslund said during Friday’s hearing that there is “overwhelming evidence of gross negligence. It’s very strong.”
Roslund said in court that Reluzco also had told officers he had smoked marijuana that night, in addition to drinking.
The prosecutor said motor vehicle records indicate Reluzco has three prior DUI arrests dating to 1987 and a “drinking problem that he cannot control.”
Roth said his client had drank beer and whiskey at Hooters. Roth said he intends to probe the accuracy and techniques used in blood tests that yielded the 0.22 reading.
But the attorney also said Reluzco is remorseful about what happened.
“My client is destroyed by what happened. He understands the penalty that he will face,” Roth said after Friday’s hearing.
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Robert Greenberg ordered Reluzco held on $250,000 bond.