Bail increased for teen suspected of crashing Jaguar into Raleigh home and killing a man

A Wake County District Court judge on Monday increased the bail for a 19-year-old man charged with being behind the wheel of a Jaguar that crashed into a Raleigh house last week, killing a man inside.

Etgar Edva Bautista-Montoya of Warren Avenue had been in custody at the Wake County jail under $150,000 bail since Friday, when police charged him with felony death by vehicle. He was also held under an additional $10,000 bail on charges of driving while impaired and driving after consuming alcohol under the age of 21.

During Bautista-Montoya’s first court appearance Monday afternoon, Wake County Judge Eric Chassen increased the bail amount for the felony charge to $200,000 after the prosecutor, Doug Faucette, told the court that Bautista-Montoya had been arrested by police last month for felony breaking and entering and on May 13 for simple possession of marijuana.

Those cases are pending.

Raleigh police officer Christopher A. Bradford administered an alcohol breathalyzer test to the suspected underage drunken driver at 3:48 a.m. Friday. The test indicated Bautista-Montoya had a blood alcohol content of .12, court records show. The legal drinking limit is .08.

Bautista-Montoya was arrested Friday at 12:30 a.m. Minutes before, according to police, Bautista-Montoya was driving a 2001 Jaguar that was traveling about 66 miles per hour on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when an officer attempted to stop him. The posted speed limit on the road is 35 mph, according to a police accident report.

The Jaguar driver turned north onto State Street, police said. Moments later, the Jaguar went through the stop sign where State Street ends in a T at East Lenoir Street and crashed into the house at 805 East Lenoir, just east of downtown, police reported.

Anthony Joseph Gaines, 42, was killed. Two children who were also inside the house were taken to WakeMed with minor injuries and later released.

Police said the Jaguar did not appear to slow down and was traveling about 65 mph when it crashed into the home. It traveled an additional 26 feet after entering the residence, according to an accident report made public Monday.

Police say Bautista-Montoya and two other teens who were riding in the car were not hospitalized.

Bautista-Montoya is scheduled to be in court for the breaking and entering charge on Jan. 29, state records show.

“I didn’t do the breaking and entering,” Bautista-Montoya told Chassen during his first appearance.

Bautista-Montoya, clad in a dingy orange-and-white-striped jail jumpsuit, asked Chassen for a court-appointed attorney.

Chassen told Bautista-Montoya that he could spend up to 17 years in prison if he is convicted of the offense, depending on his previous criminal history. Chassen promised to schedule an appointment with a court-appointed attorney “right away.”

“Good luck sir,” Chassen said to the teen at the end of the hearing.

“Thank you sir,” Bautista-Montoya replied before a bailiff led him out of the third-floor courtroom at the Wake County Justice Center.

Bautista-Montoya remained in custody at the Wake County jail Monday after the hearing in lieu of $210,000 bail.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Bail increased for teen suspected of crashing Jaguar into Raleigh home and killing a man."