Victorville man suspected in fatal Interstate 15 crash was on probation for prior DUI
A Victorville man who authorities suspect caused a fatal crash while drunk was on probation for a separate DUI charge at the time of his alleged crime, according to court records.
Johnathan Pryor, 31, was arrested Saturday after a collision on Interstate 15 that killed a 39-year-old man from Compton. Authorities identified the victim as Raul Negrete Gontes.
California Highway Patrol officers booked Pryor into the county jail on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing bodily injury. He was scheduled for an appearance in court Tuesday, but it was unclear whether the hearing happened.
Pryor was released the same day. He was being held in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
At the time of the crash, court records show Pryor was serving misdemeanor probation after pleading no contest to a DUI charge in August 2021.
The CHP responded to the crash at about 3 a.m. Saturday. According to the agency, Pryor was driving a Dodge Charger on the southbound I-15, south of Halloran Springs Road, in the No. 1 lane “at a high rate of speed.”
He hit the back of Gontes’ Chevrolet Tahoe, which began to overturn and went across the median separating the southbound and northbound lanes.
Emergency personnel pronounced Gontes dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred on the highway northeast of Baker.
A CHP officer met with Pryor, “who exhibited objective signs/symptoms of alcohol impairment,” authorities said.
The officer performed a DUI evaluation and arrested Pryor. CHP officials said alcohol was suspected to be a “contributing factor” in the crash and they were still investigating.
Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio may be reached at 760-955-5358 or MEstacio@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Compton victim killed after Chevy Tahoe struck on southbound I-15
