A Bentonville man faces a negligent homicide charge following a car crash last year that killed a 19-year-old.
Juan Manuel Ramirez, 18, was arrested Friday on suspicion of negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an injury accident and driving without a license. He remained Monday in the Benton County Jail awaiting a bond hearing, police said.
A car was traveling on North Main Street in Bentonville on Aug. 8, when the car crashed and went airborne before striking at least two parked cars. Bernice Martinez, 18, and Emanuel Perez-Serrano, 19, were ejected from the 1998 Mercury. Perez-Serrano died in the wreck, and Martinez was transported to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville, police said.
Martinez was later arrested on suspicion of third-degree battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct stemming from outstanding warrants, according to the Bentonville Police Department.
Bentonville officers were called to the emergency room of Mercy Hospital in Rogers the same day, concerning a man who had come in after possibly being involved in a car crash, police said. Detectives tracked down and arrested Ramirez following an investigation that included witness statements and evidence from the Arkansas State Crime Lab.
