L.A. Instagram influencer arrested in connection with fatal July 4 car crash
Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles-based Instagram influencer has been arrested in connection with a fatal car crash from July in which authorities said she was driving drunk.
Summer Wheaton, 33, surrendered to the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station on Monday, the local sheriff's office said in a statement.
She was booked on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury and driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or above causing bodily injury.
An arrest warrant was obtained for her detention following the completion of an investigation into the July 4 crash on the 21900 block of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
According to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department statement released following the crash, a preliminary investigation showed that a 2019 Mercedes-Benz, later confirmed to have been driven by Wheaton, had crossed the center median and collided head-on with a 2020 Cadillac traveling in the opposite direction.
The driver of the Cadillac, later identified as 44-year-old Martin Okeke, was killed in the crash.
The Cadillac's passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Wheaton has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram where she posts fashion and workout photos.
According to her website, she is a public speaker and wellness advocate as well as the founder of two startups and a nonprofit organization "dedicated to fostering self-discovery, self-empowerment and individual wellness."
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