Man pleads not guilty to hitting children

Man accused of vehicular assault, has previous DUI record

EPHRATA — A Moses Lake man accused of injuring an 18-month old and 2-year-old toddler when striking the baby carriage they were riding in pleaded not guilty to two counts of vehicular assault in Grant County Superior Court Monday morning.

Alfredo Zamora Cruz, 53, of Moses Lake, was arrested after a July 23 accident in which the Grant County Sheriff's Office reported that he drove his 1974 Dodge Dart into a stroller, sending two toddlers in it into a ditch along the shoulder of Road 3 NE in Mae Valley.

Both toddlers at the time were sent to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake where they were initially stabilized. The 18-month old was then airlifted to Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle. The 2-year-old was airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

At the time of the incident, Cruz was detained at the scene and submitted to a blood-alcohol draw at Samaritan Hospital, the GCSO stated. He was later booked into Grant County Jail for the incident, but posted $25,000 bail.

The terms of Cruz's release are that he have no contact with the witnesses of the July 23 incident, consume no alcohol and is barred from driving.

Grant County Prosecutor John Knodell told Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz Monday that one child is not going to live as a result of the accident and the second child was maimed.

In addition to his alleged involvement in the accident, Cruz was also cited for driving under the influence on March 28, 1999 in Ephrata, court records state.

Cruz was later convicted of driving under the influence in 2000 for the 1999 citation he received in Ephrata.

In the 1999 incident, Cruz was stopped by Officer John Phillips of the Ephrata Police Department on A Street SE near Southeast Boulevard after making an improper turn and traveling across the center line, according to a case report filed by the Washington State Patrol.

Cruz will next appear in court is Sept. 27 on the current charges.