Last Updated on September 18, 2017 by CCAR Staff
Authorities say a man was driving drunk when he crashed in Jurupa Valley on Sunday night, Sept. 17, resulting in the deaths of the two horses in the trailer he was towing.
David Avila, 52, was arrested on suspicion of two misdemeanors: driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol content of greater than 0.08 percent, the presumed level of intoxication. Avila was booked and released early Monday after posting $5,000 bail.
The crash happened just after 8 p.m. on Jurupa Road near Etiwanda Avenue. Avila’s vehicle struck a power box, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.
The trailer overturned, trapping the horses inside.
The Norco Animal Response Team and Riverside County Department of Animal Services attended to the horses.
One died from its injuries, and the other was euthanized, said John Welsh, an Animal Services spokesman.
Avila suffered minor injuries.
Welsh said animal cruelty charges would be unlikely in this case because those are typically filed only when there is evidence that a person purposely caused harm to an animal.
On Aug. 1, court records show, Avila was cited nearby, on Limonite Avenue at Etiwanda Avenue, on suspicion of talking on his cellphone while driving without a hands-free device. That case has not been resolved.
