Francisco Gonzalez

Francisco Gonzalez, 24, of Warsaw, was set to appear in Superior Court III Monday for a plea hearing in his case stemming from a Sept. 29 drunk driving event that resulted in a collision with a horse-drawn wagon that killed the horse. Instead, after an hour of waiting in the courtroom, Gonzalez was dismissed.

Monday’s scheduled hearing was supposed to be for a change of his not guilty plea, but defense attorney Scott Lennox and the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s office agreed on continuing the hearing upon the defense’s request. It was the third continuation of hearings for Gonzalez.

The next plea hearing is now set for 3 p.m. Thursday, July 11.

Gonzalez is charged with two felonies including a B felony charge of causing serious bodily injury while operating while intoxicated with a BAC of greater than .08 percent, and a D felony charge of failing to stop after an accident that resulted in serious bodily injury.

The incident happened shortly before midnight on Saturday, Sept. 29, on Sheldon Street near the Warsaw Walmart. Witnesses told StaceyPageOnline.com, the only news source that responded to the scene, that Gonzalez drove around and past the wagon, which was carrying five Amish teens. They said he then made a U-turn in the Walmart parking lot and drove straight into the horse. Gonzalez then drove away from the scene and was apprehended by police a few miles away when his vehicle stalled due to the damages.

Gonzalez had a legal blood draw at a Fort Wayne hospital and tested .17 percent.

See Related:
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Victim’s Dad Says Act Was Intentional