Las Vegas man guilty in girl’s death to remain in jail on DUI charges

A man who was arrested on DUI charges Saturday while awaiting sentencing for driving drunk and killing a girl with his car last year will remain jailed - for now.

Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum ordered Justin Caramanica to remain in the Clark County jail until Thursday, when he is scheduled for a bail hearing in relation to his fatal DUI last Halloween.

Caramanica had been free pending a November sentencing. District Judge Elissa Cadish took him off house arrest in April and told him not to drive or drink alcohol, according to court records. He remained free after pleading guilty two months later.

Caramanica, 42, pleaded guilty in July to DUI causing death - that of Faith Love, 12. The girl had been trick-or-treating in a Summerlin neighborhood Oct. 31 when Caramanica ran her down with his car.

Las Vegas police arrested Caramanica after he performed "unsatisfactorily" on several field sobriety tests, including failing to walk a straight line, according to the report.

Police noted Caramanica had slurred speech, glassy eyes, dilated pupils and was taking prescription drugs, the report said.

Breath tests taken nearly three hours after the crash showed Caramanica with blood-alcohol readings of 0.068 and 0.067, according to the report. The legal limit for driving is 0.08 percent.

In the latest arrest, police found Caramanica behind the wheel after a caller reported an accident about 5:45 p.m. Saturday on the 2100 block of Silvered Bark Drive, near Town Center Drive and Sahara Avenue.

He had hit a parked car and was trying to drive away when police showed up.

Caramanica, who was wearing a court-ordered alcohol-monitoring bracelet, was arrested and booked at the Clark County jail on charges that included driving under the influence and driving on a revoked license.

"He's doing the same thing again without any respect for human life or regard for the law," STOP DUI Executive Director Sandy Heverly said.

Heverly, who attended the hearing with several other STOP DUI supporters, said she was angry Cadish allowed Caramanica to remain free while awaiting a likely prison sentence.

"We're very fortunate no one else was killed or injured," she said. "This time it was a parked car. Last time it was a human life."

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@review
journal.com or 702-383-0283.