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Driver accused of fourth offense DWI in deadly Erwinville hit-and-run

8 years 4 months 1 week ago Friday, November 20 2015 Nov 20, 2015 November 20, 2015 6:01 PM November 20, 2015 in News
Source: WBRZ
By: Michael Vinsanau, Brock Sues, Russell Jones

ERWINVILLE - A suspected drunk driver is facing charges of vehicular homicide and fourth offense DWI after he was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Erwinville that left the other driver dead Friday morning.

It happened around 5 a.m. on LA 620 at LA 983. Law enforcement identified the driver that survived the crash and fled as 27-year-old Nicholas Porche. The driver of the other vehicle, 53-year-old Michael Holmes, was pronounced dead at the scene by the West Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office.

State Police said they believe Porche was driving drunk when he ran a red light at the intersection around 5 a.m. The intersection is a flashing red stop in the direction Porche was driving, according to LSP, and a yellow caution in the other direction. Investigators said Holmes' pickup hit Porche in the side and flipped, killing Holmes and disabling Porche's pickup. That's when police said Porche fled into the cane field, where he was located by a Louisiana State Police helicopter and arrested around 9:30 a.m. 

Porche was examined in an ambulance for injuries before being taken from the scene in a squad car. Investigators said he will be given a toxicology screen at the hospital. It is state law for law enforcement to test blood samples from all drivers involved in a deadly or near-deadly wreck.

Porche was booked into West Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of felony hit-and-run, operating a vehicle without required Interlock device and failure to yield at a stop sign in addition to the vehicular homicide and fourth offense DWI charges.

LSP said Holmes was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, and he sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash. State Police's investigation has indicated that Porche was wearing a seat belt during the wreck and sustained minor injuries, but he refused treatment.

BREAKING: State Police found driver of fatal hit and run in Erwinville @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/m0DwSIA1Px

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