Sophie Herbut / Staff Writer
Feb. 16, Jordana Rosales, an FIU junior, admitted to driving into a federal agent on a South Beach sidewalk prior to her arrest hours later. Prosecutors then charged Rosales with DUI manslaughter, as reported by the Miami Herald.
The Herald reported that on Jan. 15 around 2 a.m., Rosales was making a wide U-turn in a Mercedes E250, when she saw a taxi on the road. She drove onto the curb to avoid a collision but slammed into two homeland security agents and sped away.
Rosales was tracked down to a luxury building in downtown Miami. She left her rear-view mirror on the scene which served as a key piece of evidence. Once they found her car, the windshield had been notably damaged, according to the Miami Herald.
Scott McGuire, one of the agents hit by Rosales, died on Jan. 25, ten days after the incident. The second agent escaped with a broken leg.
On Jan. 16, Rosales, 21, confronted a judge in bond court and was posted on a $100,000 bond, raised from $7,500, with an ankle bracelet and a confiscation of her passport.
The prosecution feared Rosales leaving to Honduras, because her parents were born there. If she returns to Honduras, where she could possibly be considered a citizen, there’s a chance she would not be extradited to the U.S, according to CBS.
Rosales is currently under house arrest awaiting trial. She is not allowed to drive, but she is allowed to continue her schooling. Her punishment became more severe after McGuire’s death.
Rosales “shows a certain lack of responsibility and willingness to step forward when one is involved in a collision,” according to the prosecution.
Rosales’ ability to pay the bond was discussed as the defense claimed she was on financial aid for school. The judge pointed out her 2015 Mercedes as sufficient evidence that she should be able to bond out and the prosecution said Rosales has a wealthy uncle.
FIU Student Conduct Committee would not comment on Rosales’ fate as a student.
Homeland Security released a statement on McGuire, an organ donor, claiming a small comfort in giving the opportunity for others to live.
Rosales now faces a minimum of four years in prison for the DUI manslaughter charge, and the charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
[image from Flickr]