Northern Utah woman wanted for automobile homicide arrested in Pocatello
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POCATELLO – A Utah woman facing multiple charges in connection to a four-car accident that resulted in her husband’s death was arrested by Pocatello police Wednesday.
Eska M. Bird, 42, of Logan, Utah, is charged with automobile homicide, a second degree felony, as well as seven counts of driving under the influence and one count of reckless driving, all misdemeanors.
According to the Cache County District Attorney’s office in Logan, an arrest warrant was issued on Dec. 28, 2016, and Bird failed to appear in court.
The accident occurred on Oct. 28, 2016, in Smithfield, Utah, near the Franklin County, Idaho line. According to reports by the Deseret News, Bird’s husband, 52-year-old William Bird, was critically injured in the accident and he died from those injuries on Nov. 25, 2016. He was a passenger in the vehicle she was driving.
Authorities reported that the crash happened near 850 South Main in Smithfield when Eska Bird’s vehicle, which was traveling south at a high rate of speed, collided with three northbound cars. Bird was not hurt but her husband and four other people suffered injuries and were transported to nearby hospitals.
Prescription medication and speed were contributing factors in the crash, according to allegations by the Cache County District Attorney’s Office.
Eska Bird was arrested at about 10 a.m. Wednesday after being pulled over by police on Bullock Street. She is being held without bond at the Bannock County Jail.
Police said they arrested Bird after receiving information that she was in the Pocatello area.
Aschia Marie Cornwall, 23, of Pocatello, was arrested along with Bird.
Cornwall was a passenger in the vehicle when Bird was arrested and while being detained, Cornwall allegedly kicked one of the officers.
Police charged Cornwall with assault on an officer.
This article was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.