According to his arrest affidavit, a US Army soldier in Texas has been charged with a crash that killed an engaged couple. Cops claim he got drunk at a gender reveal party and then tried to drive while still wearing a baby blue wristband from the party and reeking of alcohol.
Dalia Olivas, 28, and her fiance, Rick Ballard, 29, were driving in El Paso on November 2 when the accident occurred at 11:37 p.m., according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
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The couple, along with suspect Juan Francisco Del Valle Ferrer, who was allegedly wearing the baby blue wristband from the gender reveal when cops approached him at the scene, was driving near the intersection of Rojas and Eastlake in the West Texas city when Del Valle Ferrer slammed into them with his Honda HR-V, causing Olivas and Ballard’s Mercedes to spin and crash into a light pole, according to the sheriff’s office.
Del Valle Ferrer’s arrest affidavit, first obtained and reported by the local Fox affiliate KFOX, describes how Ballard died at the scene after being ejected from the Mercedes, causing his right leg to be severed and trapped inside the vehicle. Olivas died in the local hospital.
Fort Bliss officials identified Del Valle Ferrer on Wednesday as a 23-year-old Army soldier with the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
“The Fort Bliss leadership is deeply saddened by this tragedy and its impact on the El Paso community,” Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, told KFOX. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those involved in the accident.”
According to his affidavit, Del Valle Ferrer admitted to police that he had consumed “a lot” of alcohol at the gender reveal party prior to the accident. Deputies on the scene reported smelling alcohol on him and his blue wristband from the party.
Taylor told KFOX that soldiers go through extensive training and driving programs to avoid situations like this, but people do slip through the cracks.
“We remain committed to a robust driver education program focused on responsible driving habits that begins the first week Soldiers arrive to Fort Bliss,” Taylor talked about. “We will continue to conduct frequent safety checks throughout the installation to promote safe driving practices and ridesharing opportunities.
We continue to work with community leaders and local law enforcement to improve the safety of the Fort Bliss and El Paso communities.
Olivas’ family’s GoFundMe page blames her and Ballard’s deaths on the “reckless actions of a drunk driver,” stating that “Dalia was taken from us in a devastating accident.” She was full of life and had a golden heart, which touched everyone around her.”
The Ballard family has also organized a fundraiser.
Del Valle Ferrer was booked into the El Paso County Jail on intoxication manslaughter charges with a $520,000 bond. It’s unclear when he’ll appear in court.
