A Bentonville teenager is behind bars hours after being involved in a fatal car wreck.
Berniece Martinez, 18, was driving on North Main Street in Bentonville around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday when she lost control of the vehicle. The car became airborne and struck a parked car on the road, before hitting another vehicle, according to an accident report by the Arkansas State Police.
Martinez and her passenger Emanuel Perez-Serrano, 19, were ejected from the 1998 Mercury. Perez-Serrano died, and Martinez was taken to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville.
Martinez was later arrested and booked into the Benton County Jail at 6:45 a.m. in connection with third degree battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. She remained in the jail Wednesday night awaiting a bond hearing.
The weather was clear at the time of the crash, and neither occupant was wearing a seat belt, according to the report.
