A Maryland man was been charged with manslaughter in the death of a Montgomery County police officer, who was struck and killed after he had stopped a suspected drunk driver.
Luis Gustavo Reluzco, 47, of Rolling Meadow Way in Olney, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of manslaughter by automobile and failing to move over for an emergency vehicle.
Police previously called Reluzco a suspected drunken driver; information released Thursday about the indictment did not include any charges related to driving under the influence.
Officer Noah Leotta was critically injured the evening of Dec. 3 after he had volunteered to work on a special holiday alcohol-enforcement patrol.
Leotta was stopping a suspected drunken driver at Rockville Pike and Edmonston Drive in Rockville, Maryland, and was outside his cruiser when Reluzco smashed into the police car and then struck him, police said.
Leotta, who would have been with the Montgomery County police department three years in January, was rushed to a hospital with significant trauma. He died Dec. 10.
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Reluzco turned himself in to the county sheriff about 1 p.m. Thursday. No bond information was available immediately.
Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger and State’s Attorney John McCarthy are expected to join Leotta's parents for a press conference about the indictment Friday.
Manger issued a statement after the indictment was announced that reiterated his call for stronger penalties for drunk and impaired driving, especially for repeat offenders.
“I believe these changes are important and will make travel safer for everyone on Maryland roadways; these changes will save lives," Manger said in the statement, encouraging Maryland residents to tell lawmakers they support three laws to stiffen drunk-driving penalties.
One of those laws is called "Noah's Law," named for Leotta. It calls for a mandatory interlock for all drivers convicted of driving under the influence. Right now, only people convicted of driving with a particularly high blood alcohol content and repeat offenders have to use the lock.
An interlock requires the driver to breathe into a device that measures BAC before driving.
Another of the laws would increase penalties for anyone convicted of driving while impaired and causing the death of another person; Manger says Maryland has one of the lowest penalties in the nation.
And a third law would increase penalties for adults who provide alcohol to underage drinkers.
