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An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging a Waianae man with killing his cousin in a one-car crash last July.
The indictment charges Jamil B. Ballesteros with first-degree negligent homicide and driving without a valid driver’s license. A state judge set bail at $15,000.
Honolulu police said Ballesteros was behind the wheel of a sedan that crashed into a light pole at Kuala Street and Acacia Road on July 17.
Nico Ballesteros, 22, of Waialua, was a passenger in the car. The crash pinned him inside the vehicle. He was taken by ambulance in critical condition to a hospital, where he died the following day.
Jamil Ballesteros, who was 21 at the time of the crash, was taken by ambulance to the Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition and was treated and released.
Deputy City Prosecutor Chastity Imamura told a judge Wednesday that Ballesteros’ blood alcohol content was 0.15. The legal threshold for drunken driving is 0.08. She said police also found open alcohol containers in the car.
According to state court records, Ballesteros has five prior convictions for driving without a driver’s license. Honolulu police cited Ballesteros with driving without a driver’s license offense three months before the crash. That case is still pending.
The court continued the case twice because his lawyer says Ballesteros is undergoing substance abuse rehabilitation treatment.
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