LANCASTER COUNTY – A Lancaster County man charged with homicide after his passenger in a crash he caused by driving drunk died due from injuries she sustained will have his case proceed to county court. 32-year-old Michael Ortiz of East Lampeter Township waived his preliminary hearing on charges of homicide by vehicle and homicide by vehicle while DUI. He is accused of seriously injuring his passenger, 36-year-old Eliena Rodriguez, when he crashed in the 2400 block of Old Philadelphia Pike in East Lampeter Township during the early morning of Sept. 6, 2015. Rodriguez ultimately died of complications from numerous injuries sustained in the crash. Ortiz had a blood alcohol content of 0.13% at the time and his license was suspended at the time of the collision. In 2016, Ortiz pleaded guilty to several offenses stemming from the crash. Ortiz is currently free on $50,000 unsecured bail.
MICHAEL ORTIZ