Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) has recommended felony charges be filed against a Phoenix woman involved in a three-vehicle accident in July that killed six members of one family and severely injured four children in another vehicle.
According to court records, Iyona Evonne Holton was at the wheel of a westbound GMC Envoy when she made an illegal U-turn on Interstate 10 near Tonopah the afternoon of July 2. A friend driving a Nissan Altima behind the Envoy made the same turn, with both vehicles pulling into the eastbound lanes at about 15 mph directly in front of a 30-ton tractor-trailer going 73 mph.
The driver of the Nissan, identified as Natisha Nicole Moffett, died at the scene along with all five of her passengers, who were children. Holton, 36, and her four passengers -also all children- were airlifted to local hospitals for medical treatment.
Public records show a 2-year-old in the GMC Envoy sustained an arm fracture, lung contusion, liver laceration, and clavicle fracture, while a 10-year-old sustained a femoral fracture, rib fracture, and hand injury. Another 10-year-old suffered multiple hip fractures, while a 14-year-old sustained various head injuries, including a skull fracture.
A DPS spokesman recently confirmed to Arizona Daily Independent that the case has been referred to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office with a recommendation of felony aggravated DUI charges. The decision on whether to prosecute Holton does not have to be made until July 2, 2022.
Holton was initially arrested July 8 on suspicion of multiple counts of aggravated assault as well as possession of a dangerous drug and possession of drug paraphernalia as she was being discharged from the hospital. A judge at the Ironwood Justice Court in Gila Bend set bail at a $10,000 secured appearance bond along with electronic monitoring
When Holton was booked into jail, DPS Trooper Jasper Dampier noted concerns that Holton might be a flight risk as she had only lived in Arizona for two years and had strong family ties in California and Michigan. In addition, a GoFundMe account set up after the accident raised over $60,000 and “may be used to get family out of state,” the trooper noted.
The DPS probable cause statement also noted Holton reportedly admitted to using cocaine the day of the crash, and may have taken two prescription medications that day as well.
Holton arranged for her release on July 10, but the case was dismissed the next week after formal felony charges were not filed by the county attorney’s office. One issue at the time was the need for toxicology and crime lab results, which have been taking about six months to complete.
If Holton is prosecuted, statements she made after the accident could come into play, including her comments about making the U-turn on a busy interstate.
According to the probable cause statement, Holton and Moffett were driving westbound near Milepost 82 when another driver signaled that Holton’s GMC had a flat tire.
“She informed her friend, who was in a vehicle behind her, via a cell phone call, that she was going to make a U-turn and that (Moffett) should follow her,” Trooper Dampier wrote. “(Holton) stated the next thing she saw was a big truck hitting all of them.”
Dampier also noted that investigators who examined the eastbound and westbound shoulders as well as the 40-foot median determined the GMC and Nissan “had ample areas of safety to change a tire.” Instead, Holton “knowingly drove in the travel portion” of the eastbound lane and pulled in front of the tractor-trailer “which weighed approximately 60,000 pounds,” Dampier wrote.
When Holton was admitted to a hospital in Goodyear, a staff member conducting an inventory of Holton’s belongings discovered “a small baggy with a white powdery substance” believed to be fentanyl or methamphetamine. A melted straw was also found, which is the basis for the drug paraphernalia offense listed on Holton’s jail booking sheet.
