De La Cruz-Gonzalez to proceed to arraignment

A preliminary hearing for Braulio De La Cruz-Gonzalez, a Dodge City man accused of two counts of involuntary manslaughter, was held Monday after a three-week delay. The initial hearing was postponed due to weather Feb. 25.
The charges against De La Cruz-Gonzalez were filed as a result of an April 2012 car accident seven miles west of Dodge City in which 67-year-old Fred Ruda and 90-year-old Eleanor T. Sexson were both killed.
Braulio De La Cruz-Gonzalez was driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 56 when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck a westbound vehicle driven by Ruda, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol crash log.
During Monday's hearing, De La Cruz-Gonzalez's attorney waived his client's right to a contested preliminary hearing, according to Assistant Ford County Attorney Kevin Salzman. The case will be set for arraignment at a later date. During the arraignment hearing, De La Cruz-Gonzalez will be given a chance to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest.