Driver jailed in Hwy. 99E DUII crash that killed mom, 4 kids

(Update: Driver arrested on manslaughter, DUII charges; two past DUII arrests)

A 27-year-old Gervais man was arrested Monday on five counts of manslaughter, felony DUII and other charges in a head-on crash Sunday afternoon on state Highway 99E north of Salem that killed a Molalla mother and her four young children, Oregon State Police reported.

Favian Garcia, who was booked into the Marion County Jail, also is charged with reckless driving, misdemeanor driving with a suspended license and an outstanding, unrelated Marion County warrant, troopers said.

OSP troopers and emergency responders were dispatched around 4:40 p.m. to the reported crash on the highway at Nevada Street Northeast.

Troopers said a preliminary investigation found that a northbound Land Rover driven by Garcia and a southbound Buick Century driven by Lisette Medrano-Perez, 25, of Molalla, were negotiating a corner when they collided head-on.

Medrano-Perez was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said, as were her four children — two boys, ages 8 and 6, and two girls, 4 and 2.

Garcia was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.

Online court records indicate Garcia also was arrested in late July on charges of DUII, reckless driving and failure to perform the duties of a driver (property damage). He failed to appear for arraignment on July 31, was arrested in mid-August, conditionally released from jail and again failed to appear for arraignment on Aug. 28, the records show. He also was arrested on a misdemeanor DUII charge in August of 2011.

OSP was assisted by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon Department of Transportation, Kaiser Police Department, Marion County Fire District and the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.

Anyone with witness information who has not spoken with police is urged to call Oregon State Police at (800) 452-7888.

The road was closed for the investigation and ODOT established a detour.