An unlicensed driver is facing manslaughter and homicide charges in connection with a November collision on I-270 that killed a 19-year-old, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s office announced Wednesday night in a statement.
Byron Bautista Turcios, 23, of Beltsville was indicted April 24 in Montgomery County Circuit Court on charges of manslaughter by motor vehicle, homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and driving a motor vehicle without a license, according to the statement. Attorney information for Turcios was not available Thursday morning according to online court documents.
The charges stem from a Nov. 29 crash on southbound I-270 north of Rockledge Drive that killed Amelia Nicole Hobart of Poolesville, according to the statement.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews responded at about 4:30 a.m. to the report of a “vehicle with entrapment” on the highway in the area of Rockledge Drive, between the I-270 spur and Old Georgetown Road, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer posted on social media at the time.
Firefighters found one vehicle in a “fully involved” fire with Hobart trapped inside “with life-threatening injuries,” Piringer wrote. Hobart was pronounced dead at the scene. Crews transported four others with trauma injuries to a local hospital.
According to an online obituary, Hobart was a lifelong Poolesville resident. She graduated from Poolesville High School with several academic accolades and was a National Honor Society member. She danced on the school’s poms team and was a Girl Scout for 13 years. Hobart was featured in local news reports in 2013 for designing a Poolesville-themed Girl Scout patch. She was a nursing student at Towson University at the time of her death.
A scheduling hearing for Turcios is set for May 16, the statement said.
