Narcotics use suspected in NLV crash that killed 9-year-old girl
A DUI suspect who collided with another vehicle Saturday, killing her passenger, a 9-year-old girl, failed a field sobriety test and is suspected to have been using narcotics, according to the North Las Vegas Police Department.
The Clark County coroner identified the 9-year-old girl as Sophia Sandoval of Porterville, California. She died of multiple blunt force injuries, according to the coroner.
According to Christina Sorensen’s arrest report, Sorensen appeared “emotionless” despite Sandoval being unresponsive at the scene, a clue that, among others, arresting officer Andy Navarro said led him to believe Sorensen may have been impaired.
Sorensen, 63, also told Navarro that she had been driving slowly due to having to drive around a truck and trailer, despite being behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette when she collided with a Jeep, the report said.
She also wasn’t sure whether the light she had driven through at the intersection of Simmons Street and West Ann Road had been green or not, according to her report.
According to the report, Sorensen told police she was turning left when the Jeep approached and ran into her.
A responding officer spoke with a witness who was driving next to the Jeep and confirmed they had a green light, not Sorensen, the report said.
After Sorensen failed several field sobriety tests and blew a breath test sample of .000, police had “probable cause to suspect Sorensen was driving under the influence of narcotics,” according to her arrest report.
She consented to a blood draw. According to police, Sorensen had been driving on a valid Nevada driver’s license and had no prior local arrests or out-of-state criminal record.
Sorensen was booked into the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center on Saturday on suspicion of DUI resulting in death, reckless driving resulting in death and child endangerment resulting in death, police said.
She posted bond Monday after North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Natalie Tyrrell set a $100,000 bail for her that same morning during a court appearance.
Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram.
