Man charged in connection with deadly October crash in Papillion

PAPILLION, Neb. (WOWT) – The driver in a crash that killed his passenger last month is behind bars in Papillion.

Wade Harvey, 37, was arrested Thursday and booked into jail on motor vehicle homicide charges in connection with a crash that killed 26-year-old Juan Guillen on Oct. 11.

The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called to the scene around 1:10 a.m. in a Papillion subdivision along Highway 370. They arrived to find a Ram 1500 pickup that had crashed into a tree. Harvey sat in the driver’s seat while Guillen sat on the passenger side.

Officials pronounced Guillen dead at the scene, while medical personnel transported Harvey to the hospital with serious injuries.

Preliminary investigation revealed Harvey was driving southbound on Richland Drive when the crash occurred. Surveillance footage from a nearby home showed the truck traveling at “excessive speed, followed by the sound of a loud crash,” SCSO said. Investigators say tire tracks on the road match the video evidence.

Both speed and alcohol are believed to play a role in this study. Authorities said Harvey failed to comply with a search warrant the night of the crash, making it more difficult for officers to determine whether he had been drinking. Subsequent search warrants led investigators to consider alcohol as a contributing factor in the crash.

The crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office at 402-593-1546.