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Prosecutors have filed multiple misdemeanor counts against a West Valley City man who allegedly was high on drugs and driving a pickup truck with faulty brakes when he struck and killed two female pedestrians in March.
Michael Douglas Sleeter, 46, was charged in 3rd District Court Wednesday with obstructing justice, a class A misdemeanor; driving with a measurable controlled substance in his body and possession of drug paraphernalia, both class B misdemeanors; and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle, a class C misdemeanor. He is scheduled for arraignment next Tuesday.
According to information filed by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, Sleeter was driving a Toyota pickup truck about 2 a.m. on March 4 when he struck Andrea Fuguel, 37, and Erica Warneke, 35, as they crossed the street at 3360 S. Redwood Road. Both women later died of their injuries.
Prosecutors say Sleeter initially drove away from the scene, making a right-hand turn at 3300 South before coming to a stop. Sleeter then walked back to the accident.
Witnesses told investigators that no brake lights came on before Sleeter's truck struck the women. Police later determined, prosecutors said, that while the truck's front wheels had new brake pads, they were not working. An inspection also allegedly found that the left-rear wheel brake was malfunctioning, the truck's brake-fluid reservoir was below the fill mark and two brake lines were leaking.
When West Valley City police searched Sleeter's truck, they allegedly found a broken glass pipe on the floor and a powdery substance. Sleeter consented to blood and urine testing, but allegedly tried to dilute the urine sample with water, rendering it unusable.
Police say Sleeter provided another urine sample after acknowledging he had tampered with the first one. He allegedly told officers that he "was afraid marijuana would be in his system because he was around friends who were smoking," court documents state.
It was the blood sample Sleeter provided that was found to contain methamphetamine, prosecutors say.
Utah court records show Sleeter has a criminal record dating to 1990 that includes several felony convictions for drug possession. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony for operating a clandestine drug lab and was sentenced to 1 to 15 years at the Utah State Prison.
According to their obituaries, Fuguel was the mother of five children; Warneke was the mother of two.