Woman accused in crash that killed fetus arraigned
A woman accused of killing an unborn child while driving under the influence of alcohol was back in a Yuma courtroom Friday.
Tracey Mixon, 36, who remains under the supervision of the county's pretrial services department, was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Thomas Thode.
Accompanied by attorney Michael Donovan for the brief 15-minute hearing, Mixon remained composed as the judge read aloud the formal charges she faced, including one charge of manslaughter in the death of an unborn child.
Thode then set 8:15 a.m. April 2 as the time and date of her next hearing.
Immediately afterward, Mixon and her family, led by Donovan, left the courtroom and, without stopping, walked down the street to the attorney's office, just south of the courthouse on 2nd Street.
Mixon also faces 11 counts of aggravated assault and extreme DUI in connection with the Jan. 22 accident on 32nd Street between avenues B and C.
Mixon was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban west in the eastbound lane of 32nd Street when she ran head-on into a Nissan pickup driven by Victoria Gates, 57, Yuma police officers have said. Moments after the collision, the pickup was struck from behind by a Toyota van that was following it.
Gates' 18-year-old daughter Maria, a passenger in the Nissan, lost the child with whom she was nine months pregnant, police said, and a total of 12 people, including Mixon and several children, were injured.
A blood test performed on Mixon following the accident revealed she was driving under the influence, police said.
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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.
