VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The new suspect arrested and accused of causing a triple fatal crash on I-4 will stay in jail until her trial.
On May 22, Channel 9 broke the news that the State Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against the original suspect, Lindsey Isaacs.
Then, on May 23, Channel 9 was the first to tell you that Alisa Montalvo had been arrested as the new suspect.
Channel 9 was in court on May 29, and we heard from the specialized team from the Florida Highway Patrol brought in to reinvestigate this crash.
That team started investigating the original suspect, Lindsey Isaacs, but quickly determined there was no real evidence against her. They found a lot against Alisa Montalvo, including evidence that she had her car repaired, which ultimately kept the judge from granting her bond.
Prosecutors described how Alisa Montalvo covered up evidence in a crash that killed three people. One of the victims was her friend, Joaqin Deno.
Flagler County Deputy Administrator Jorge Salinas and his wife also died.
“Three days after this happens, she contacts a home-based mechanic, she does not file a claim with insurance, she changes the doors, cuts the airbags out,” said a Prosecutor.
Montalvo was arrested last Friday after a higher-level team of FHP investigators became involved. We heard from the head of that investigation, Master Corporal Brian Gensler, who explained how one witness described the crash.
“In their words, it was almost intentional, as the maroon Durango was already in the left lane,” said Gensler.
Still, Montalvo’s attorneys argued that someone else was originally arrested for the crimes and that more evidence needed to be examined.
“They also accused that person of tampering, and there was a trooper that testified that damage matched,” said the defense attorney.
We asked Lindsay Isaacs, who spent 13 days in jail before the state dropped all charges against her, how it felt to see Montalvo face-to-face for the first time.
“It was really hard for me,” said Isaacs.
Isaacs’ attorney said he’s working on a civil suit against her for her wrongful arrest.
We’ve been asking FHP every day if the troopers involved in this investigation would be investigated… so far they will not confirm.
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