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Drunk Driver Charged In Fatal Georgetown Rd. Crash

1,777 views · Published 6 August 2012 · 2:12 · Indexed 20 October 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2012 · News & Politics

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A police chase turns deadly after an alleged drunk driver tries to outrun police on Georgetown Road in Cleveland. The accident happened around 2 a.m. Saturday morning. The victim was a 46-year-old mother.Police say the 24-year-old driver, Dennis Cruz, had been drinking that night. Now, he's behind bars, charged with vehicular homicide.A totaled Ford Escort is what's left of the fatal crash on Georgetown Road. It was being driven by Holli Hough. The mother of two didn't make it.Neighbor Don Vaught says he woke up to the sound of the crash. "Actually right where that mailbox was at. That mailbox was thrown back up into their yard. Right where the mailbox was and it was facing our house, so we could see everything pretty good from there. I don't see how anybody could live on that side of the car, on the driver's side. It was bad," said Vaught.According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Cleveland Police had been chasing this van driven by Dennis Cruz, who they believe had been drinking, but they backed off before things got too dangerous. Unfortunately, as Holli's brother explains, it wasn't soon enough."He was passing cars on Georgetown Road and there were several witnesses stopped who said he passed them at a high rate of speed," said Mark Hough, Holli's brother.Police say Holli pulled over and stopped on the side of the road to avoid Cruz, but he hit an uneven part of the road and slammed into her car. His van flipped over and landed in a front yard a few houses down from where they made impact. Cruz survived the wreck and is now behind bars, but Holli's brother wants him to know he took his sister away from him. "Be man enough. If you're going to drive drunk and get arrested, then pull over and take the punishment. Had he stopped this wouldn't have happened," said Mark Hough.The passenger in Holli's car has been identified as James Hughes the Third from Aliceville, Alabama. Holli's family says they don't know who he was, but would like to talk to him. He suffered minor injuries.Cleveland Police have policies they're supposed to follow when it comes to chasing suspects. It says officers may engage in the pursuit of known violent felony offenders. They will not engage in the pursuit of misdemeanor acts, traffic violations, or property crimes. Police started pursuing Cruz because his headlights were out.

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