Rock Hill woman charged in fatal DUI back in court to face more charges

A Rock Hill woman, who already faced charges of felony DUI resulting in death from a deadly summer crash on Interstate 77, is back in jail facing an additional charges for another victim who was hurt. And the York County jail has a hold on Jeannine Kantus Valdes, 35, for immigration reasons.

Lacee Sullivan, 23, of Monroe, N.C., died in the crash June 9 on Interstate 77 in an incident prosecutors and police said happened after Valdes was swerving in and out of traffic on the interstate at speeds reaching almost 100 MPH before the wreck that sent both cars hurtling down an embankment.

A grand jury indicted Valdes on a second charge of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury concerning the passenger in Sullivan’s car, leading to the new charge. Valdes was jailed again after she had been released in June on $75,000 bond.

Her blood alcohol content when tested two hours after the crash showed a .174 reading –more than twice the legal limit, prosecutor Willy Thompson said. Valdes also had marijuana in her system, police allege.

Her speed, estimated by the S.C. Highway Patrol’s accident reconstruction team was between 93 and 98 MPH at the time of the crash, according to information presented in court Friday. Valdes had five driving infractions in the past three years before the crash.

Bond was set at $50,000 Friday for the new charge, court records show, and includes GPS monitoring, house arrest, no driving for any reason and no alcohol or drugs except prescription medication.

Yet it is unclear when Valdes will be able to get out even if she posts bond as federal immigration officials have put a hold on her. Jail officials did not have specifics on why federal authorities want Valdes held.

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Rock Hill woman charged in fatal DUI back in court to face more charges."