Suspect accused of killing Tulare Western Dean of Students in crash has previous DUI

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Over the weekend, Fresno State's softball team honored Rudy Carrasco with a standing ovation.

His family also threw out the first pitch to his daughter, a senior on the team.

Late last month, Carrasco, who was the dean of students at Tulare Western High School, died from injuries he received in a crash at H Street and San Joaquin Avenue.

"He did have a lot of support from the school and other members of the community," Sgt. Ed Hinojosa said. "(I) hear all good things about the things that he did at the school with the students and it's unfortunate."

On Friday, Tulare Police announced they arrested the driver of the other car involved in the crash-23-year-old Izeah Almaguer.

Police say Almaguer not only caused the crash by speeding through a stop sign but was also drunk at the time.

They say he refused to be evaluated by officers on the scene, but police eventually got a blood sample from him at the hospital.

Those results, a .13 percent blood alcohol content, came back on Friday.

Police arrested him during a traffic stop later that afternoon, during which they say Almaguer denied any wrongdoing.

"I think he felt that if he was going to be arrested, he should have been arrested the night of the incident," Hinojosa said.

Police say Almaguer was driving on a suspended license.

Just last month, he pleaded to a DUI that happened in December of 2018.

He was given three years probation, and as part of his sentence, he was given advisement that reads in part:

"If you continue to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or both, and, as a result of that driving, someone is killed, you can be charged with murder."

On the same day last month, Almaguer pleaded to misdemeanor charges including corporal injury to the mother of his child.

Almaguer is being held at the Tulare County Adult Pre-Trial Facility. He could be charged on Tuesday.