Suspected impaired and distracted driver accused of killing 7-year-old Utah boy

WASHINGTON CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — A St. George man who police say was impaired and may have also been trying to text when he ran a stop sign and slammed into another vehicle, killing a 7-year-old boy, is facing numerous charges.

On Monday, Tracy Sandoval, 46, was charged in 5th District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; automobile homicide involving a phone while driving, and three counts of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in serious injury, third-degree felonies; negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, a class A misdemeanor; not having insurance, a class C misdemeanor; and failing to stop for a stop sign and having an illegal window tint, infractions.

Friday afternoon in Washington City, near 100 East and 200 South, Sandoval was driving an SUV “and had blown through the stop sign on 200 South” and T-boned another vehicle, a police booking affidavit states.

“As the SUV hit the white passenger vehicle, it spun it around and caused the blue vehicle to collide with the driver’s side of (a third) vehicle,” the affidavit states.

A 44-year-old man, 19-year-old woman, 17-year-old girl were injured. Seven-year-old Acestyn “Ace” James Butterfus-Ramirez “was unconscious upon arrival and had a faint pulse,” according to police, and was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries a short time later.

The 19-year-old suffered a compound fracture to her back, while the 17-year-old sustained injuries to her hip, ribs and chest, the affidavit states. The man suffered a head injury but refused treatment at the hospital.

After the crash, Sandoval fled in his Ford Expedition. Police, however, found the license plate to his vehicle at the crash scene, the affidavit states.

Police located Sandoval’s SUV and pulled him over. His eyes were bloodshot and glossy and he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, police noted in their affidavit. A breath test measured Sandoval’s blood-alcohol level at 0.148%, nearly three times Utah’s legal limit.

In addition to drinking that day, Sandoval also allegedly told police he was grabbing his phone at the time of the incident, to text his wife.

“Tracy stated the phone slipped from his hands as he was texting. Tracy stated he bent down to pick it up then looked up right before he hit the white passenger vehicle. Tracy stated he was aware he ran the stop sign and was aware he caused the accident,” the affidavit states. “Tracy stated he was nervous and left the scene without stopping to check on the others involved.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Ace’s family with medical and funeral bills, as well as other expenses.

“His father and sister were with him in the vehicle when they were T-boned by a drunk driver. His father, Wes, sustained injuries, including three broken bones in his neck. He underwent a successful spinal fusion surgery. Ace’s sister Lily was taken to the hospital and later released,” the campaign states.

“Ace was a vivacious child that had a dimpled smile that could brighten the whole room. He possessed an innate curiosity that fueled his thirst for knowledge and adventure. Full of dreams and aspirations, he embraced life with wide-eyed wonder, touching the lives of all who knew him. Adventures with Ace were always fun and memorable.”