CLEVELAND — Marco Castro, the 24-year-old man accused of killing 58-year-old Vetrica Lemaitre in a wrong-way crash on I-71 in Cleveland, appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
During an arraignment hearing, Castro pleaded not guilty. His bond was set at $100,000, and his driver's license was taken away.
Castro was previously indicted on the following charges connected to the deadly June 13 crash:
- Involuntary manslaughter - 1 count
- Aggravated vehicular homicide - 2 counts
- Aggravated vehicular assault - 2 counts
- Vehicular assault - 2 counts
- Operating vehicle under the influence - 1 count
Cleveland police say the deadly accident happened on I-71 near West 150th Street when an Acura was driving southbound in the northbound lanes and crashed head-on into another vehicle.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by 3News, police say that Castro was operating the 2018 Acura that struck a 2009 Mitsubishi that was occupied by three people.
Cleveland EMS previously told 3News that three individuals were hurt and taken to the hospital. Castro was injured in the crash, and Cleveland EMS took him to Fairview Hospital.
The crash also killed Lemaitre, a 58-year-old woman who was a passenger in the 2009 Mitsubishi.
Cleveland police also noted in the complaint that "Castro exhibited a clue of impairment--a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage."
The court also ordered GPS monitoring, curfew monitoring and no contact with the surviving victim.
Castro is set to appear in court on July 2 at 9 a.m. for a pre-trial hearing.
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