Manslaughter charged after Maricopa woman dies in rollover

A Maricopa resident was killed Saturday night in a one-vehicle crash in Rancho El Dorado. The driver of the vehicle has been charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence.

According to the Maricopa Police Department, Heidi Johnson, 53, died after being partially thrown from the vehicle. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. at the intersection of Rancho El Dorado Parkway and Desert Greens Drive.

Antoinette Sanchez, 39, was driving the pickup truck north on Desert Greens, according to the report. A witness told MPD the truck did not stop at the stop sign but instead drove across the parkway and into the dirt berm that acts as a backstop for the Duke Golf Course.

According to MPD spokesman Ricardo Alvarado, the vehicle overturned at least once. He said Johnson was apparently not wearing a seatbelt.

Alvarado said Sanchez was wearing a seatbelt. She was taken to Chandler Regional Medical Center, where her blood-alcohol content was reportedly measured at .254.

She is charged with manslaughter, driving under the influence, “super extreme” DUI (BAC above .20) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Her bond was set at $15,000. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 2 in the Maricopa/Stanfield Justice Court.

Alvarado said it was the second fatality in two days in which the deceased was not wearing a seatbelt, following the death of high school student Nathan Ford. “Although we don’t know that it would have been a factor in either case, we want to remind people that seatbelts save lives,” he said.