Arizona woman dies in crash near Farmington, driver charged with DWI, vehicular homicide

• Shaydell Pete-Light, 21, is accused of ten charges in the criminal case.
• Pete-Light is accused of driving while under the influence of alcohol and killing 19-year-old Jasmine Lynn Curley.
• He was released from the San Juan County Adult Detention Center Tuesday afternoon on his own recognizance.

FARMINGTON — An Arizona woman was killed in a fatal vehicle crash Monday night south of Farmington and the driver has been charged with aggravated DWI and vehicular homicide.

Shaydell Pete-Light, 21, is accused of 10 charges including a second-degree felony count of homicide by vehicle and a petty misdemeanor count of aggravated DWI, according to court records.

Pete-Light is accused of driving while under the influence of alcohol and killing 19-year-old Jasmine Lynn Curley of Chilchinbito, Arizona, according to the probable cause statement and a New Mexico State Police press release.

He did not have legal representation Wednesday afternoon.

Pete-Light was driving a silver Pontiac Grand Prix passenger car northbound on New Mexico Highway 371 around 5:08 p.m. Monday when he lost control of the vehicle and swerved off the road.

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The crash occurred near the 104 mile marker on New Mexico Highway 371, south of Farmington and north of the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry headquarters.

Witnesses interviewed stated the Pontiac drove off the roadway down an embankment, crashed into a tree and rolled-over once, according to court documents.

A witness observed a person later identified as Curley had been ejected from the vehicle.

Pete-Light told a New Mexico State Police officer he was driving 20 miles per hour over the 45-mph speed limit when he lost control of the vehicle.

The suspect was wearing a seatbelt while Curley was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred, according to court documents.

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Pete-Light told the state police officer the couple were drinking alcohol and shooting guns with his brother before they got into the vehicle and were driving to Farmington when the crash occurred.

The couple had been dating for about a month, according to court documents.

The suspect allegedly consumed eight, 24 oz. cans of beer before he got into the vehicle.

His blood alcohol content was 0.12. The state BAC limit is 0.08.

The officer observed that Pete-Light was slurring his speech and had bloodshot, watery eyes.

The suspect told San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputies at the scene that he had too much alcohol to drink.

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An employee of the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator declared Curley dead at the scene.

During an inventory conducted of the vehicle, a marijuana grinder was found with what looked like and smelled like marijuana residue, according to court documents.

A white pipe with marijuana residue and two small bags of marijuana were also found in the vehicle.

Pete-Light made his first appearance Tuesday morning in Farmington Magistrate Court.

He was released from the San Juan County Adult Detention Center Tuesday afternoon on his own recognizance.

Pete-Light's preliminary hearing is set for the morning of Nov. 28 in Farmington Magistrate Court.

Joshua Kellogg covers crime, courts and social issues for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.