A man high on methamphetamine and marijuana — who drove a stolen car through a stop sign and crashed into a vehicle, injuring the other driver and paralyzing her 7-year-old girl — was convicted Wednesday of multiple felonies.
David Jesse James Alva, 24, was convicted of vehicular assault DUI and first-degree assault with extreme indifference, among other charges, according to the Adams County district attorney’s office.
Alva, who was wanted on an arrest warrant, was trying to elude police at about 7:30 p.m. Feb 6 when, with lights off and at speeds up to 80 mph, he ran a stop sign at West 68th Avenue and Pecos Street, according to a news release.
The speeding Nissan Xterra slammed into a car driven by 40-year-old Sandra Acuna-Mendoza. Jamile Hernandez, 7, was in the back seat when their car was broadsided by the SUV. They were returning home from a funeral.
Jamile was hospitalized for three months and is paralyzed. Acuna-Mendoza suffered a broken pelvis and ribs, a fractured spine and lacerated liver and spleen, the district attorney’s office said.
“Jamile Hernandez was a perfectly healthy 7-year-old second-grader who loved swimming and
wanted to play softball,” said Patrick Costigan, chief deputy district attorney. “David Alva changed her life forever.”
Alva, who had tried to flee the crash scene on foot with a broken leg, had 622 nanograms of meth and THC in his system at the time of the crash.
“He was out of his mind on meth and paranoid,” Costigan said. “He was driving a stolen car, and
he was going to avoid capture at all costs. He didn’t care about anyone but himself. His selfish actions cost Jamile Hernandez the use of her legs.”
The Adams County jury deliberated about an hour before convicting Alva, including two counts of motor vehicle theft. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
