Frank Cabezas, facing death-by-auto and other charges stemming from a crash in Readington Township, had his first court appearance on Monday, March 28, 2016.
FLEMINGTON -- Bail was revoked Monday for a 23-year-old man facing death-by-auto and other charges stemming from a crash in Readington Township on Friday in which two grandparents died.
Frank Cabezas, a Whitehouse Station resident, was brought to state Superior Court in Hunterdon County from the Somerset County Jail, where he has been held since the accident.
Cabezas spoke little in court and his attorney waived a reading of the charges. His parents attended the brief hearing, crying quietly in the hallway following the bail revocation. Cabezas is due back in court on April 25.
His bail was originally set at $250,000, but Assistant Prosecutor Chris Vaccaro asked that it be revoked.
Man charged in crash that killed 2
"He was on probation for a narcotics-related offense when he was charged with two death-by-auto charges and more," Vaccaro told Judge Angela Borkowski.
Cabezas was 20 when he was charged on July 31, 2013, with third-degree possession of buprenorphine and fourth-degree conspiracy to possess more than 50 grams of marijuana in Flemington, court records show. He plead guilty on Oct. 28, 2013, to fourth-degree conspiracy to possess more than 50 grams of marijuana and more than 5 grams of hash.
A pre-sentence report indicated Cabezas was enrolled in college at the time, and admitted to a substance abuse history involving alcohol. That was his first indictable offense, court records showed, but he also had a disorderly persons conviction.
Cabezas was sentenced on May 16, 2014, to two years' probation, 100 hours of community service, a substance abuse evaluation and random drug screenings.
He was also arrested in Flemington in 2012 when, at 19, he was found drunk and wearing nothing but his underwear while driving his friend to a liquor store, police said at the time. He was charged with driving while intoxicated. It remains unclear how that case was disposed.
Cabezas was also arrested and charged with possession of under 50 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia during a motor-vehicle stop on Van Horne Road near Route 22 in Readington Township on Feb. 22 of this year, according to police records.
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Cabezas had been stopped for reportedly using a cell phone while driving. Police called for a drug-sniffing dog, which allegedly led to the discovery of a small amount of marijuana in the tire well area of the trunk of the Nissan Maxima he was driving. According to police, Cabezas was released after processing, given a summons and court date and driven back to his vehicle.
According to state Department of Motor Vehicles records, Cabezas' driver's license has been suspended five times since 2010, nj101.5 has reported.
The accident in Readington Township on Friday happened on Route 523, on a curve north of Barley Sheaf Road. Cabezas was driving a Ford Explorer south at around 2:45 p.m. when it hit a Toyota Camry head-on, according to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III.
Five people were in the Camry, returning from an egg hunt. Flemington residents Frank Corso, 79, and his wife Audrey, 75, did not survive the crash. With them were their son Gregory Corso, 43, of Budd Lake, who suffered minor injuries, and grandchildren Matthew Corso, 5, and Marissa Corso, 10. Matthew was in a booster seat and wasn't seriously hurt, officials said, adding that Marissa was flown to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick with non-life threatening injuries.
Cabezas wasn't hurt in the accident. He is charged with two counts of second degree death by auto, three counts of fourth degree assault by auto, reckless driving and driving under the influence.
Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find The Hunterdon County Democrat on Facebook.