Driver accused in triple fatality has history of DUI, traffic offenses

The man charged in the deaths of three people after he allegedly ran a red light while intoxicated and slammed into the side of a car late last month has a history of driving under the influence and traffic violations, records show.

Juan Pablo Gandara-Rodela, 31, faces three counts of second-degree murder or three alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence, two counts of aggravated battery while DUI and one count of leaving the scene of an accident in connection with a fatal crash near Towne West Square on July 27.

The three people killed in the crash – Zachary Taylor and Jake Hallacy, both 26 and of Valley Center, and Emily Phillips, 21, of McPherson – were riding in the back seat of a Chevy Impala when, prosecutors allege, Gandara-Rodela ran a red light as he drove east on Maple and struck the Impala as it was coming north on Tracy at about 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of July.

Gandara-Rodela ran from the scene of the collision and hitched a ride to his house in south Wichita, where he was arrested. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 14 and his bond is set at $500,000.

Gandara-Rodela has a valid Kansas driver’s license, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue, but Wichita Municipal Court records show he was cited twice in a six-year span for not having a license – in 2003 and 2009.

Court records also show he was cited for speeding in 2003 and inattentive driving in 2007. He was cited for driving the wrong way and arrested for driving under the influence of liquor in 2008. Records show he was granted diversion on the DUI offense.

Wichita police have said Gandara-Rodela had been at a west-side bar just prior to driving east on Maple and becoming involved in the fatal collision.

This story was originally published August 5, 2014 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Driver accused in triple fatality has history of DUI, traffic offenses."