| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 947 | 2008-07-29 | Troop A | Driver Arrested in Fatal Hit and Run Crash |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent TROOP A- NEWS RELEASE *****UPDATE***** Driver Arrested in Fatal Hit and Run Crash BATON ROUGE- Louisiana State Police Detectives have arrested the driver of a Nissan Altima that caused a fatal crash and then fled the scene in a stolen vehicle on Interstate 10 late Sunday night (July 27, 2008.) 28-yr old Michelle S. Blankenstein (W/F) was arrested early this morning in Saraland, AL after State Police detectives located the vehicle she had stolen in New Orleans. Investigators learned Blankenstein, who resides in Houston, TX, was picked up in the Lake Charles area by an acquaintance who drove her to Baton Rouge. The acquaintance, David Smith of Lake Charles, stopped at the Ramada Inn hotel on Airline Hwy, where Blankenstein allegedly stole his vehicle, a Nissan Altima. Smith reported the theft to Baton Rouge City Police that night and informed the investigating officers Blankenstein had said she was trying to get to New Orleans. Blankenstein later crashed into another vehicle at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Interstate 10 eastbound near Sorrento, LA while she was fleeing from the Ramada Inn. Blankenstein was driving on the shoulder of I-10 with no headlights and at a high rate of speed when she attempted to enter the right lane. She then crashed into the right rear of a Ford F-150 truck. After the collision, the Ford began rotating clockwise and exited the roadway to the right. Afterwards, the Ford rolled over multiple times, ejecting several passengers. At the same time, the Nissan Blankenstein was driving traveled into the median and struck a tree. Blankenstein then exited the vehicle, walked across the interstate and stole a red Volkswagen Bettle belonging to a couple who had stopped to render aide. At the time of the crash, there were seven occupants in the Ford F-150 truck. The rear passenger, Juan F. Molina (Male/Age 24/New Orleans) sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Ascension Parish Coroner’s Office. The driver, Antonio J. Zeron (Male/Age 53/New Orleans) sustained serious injuries; the right front passenger, Nora Zeron (Female/Age 34/New Orleans) sustained serious injuries and two juveniles sustained minor injuries. Acadian Ambulance transported each occupant to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital after the crash. The middle front passenger, Claudia Murrilla-Funel (Female/Age 28/New Orleans) and a juvenile sustained minor injuries and were both transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital by Gonzales EMS. On July 28, State Police detectives located the stolen Volkswagen in New Orleans near a residence owned by Blankenstein’s mother. Investigators determined Blankenstein had left New Orleans with her ex-husband, who is a truck driver, and the two traveled to Saraland, AL where Alabama police officers located them at a Wal-Mart parking lot early this morning. Local authorities took Blankenstein into custody based on arrest warrants issued by the Louisiana State Police for the charges of Hit and Run, one count of Negligent Homicide, six counts of Negligent Injuring, and Unauthorized Use of a Movable. Blankenstein will be extradited to Louisiana and booked into the Ascension Parish Prison on those charges. For more information contact: Sgt. Markus L. Smith Public Affairs Unit Louisiana State Police – Headquarters Office: (225) 925-6202 Markus.Smith@dps.la.gov www.lsp.org | |||
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