YOUNGSTOWN Woman pleads innocent in crash that killed her 5-year-old son

YOUNGSTOWN -- A 31-year-old woman charged with vehicular homicide and other charges in a May 25 accident in which her 5-year-old son was killed pleaded innocent in municipal court this morning.
Myra Hernandez of Magnolia Avenue was arraigned on a charge of vehicular homicide for the death of Alexander Rodriquez. Her pretrial is set for 9 a.m. Aug. 15.
Hernandez also is charged with failure to comply with seat-belt and child-restraint requirements, failure to yield at a stop sign and operation in violation of a temporary instruction permit.
Police said Alexander was one of eight children riding in the seven-passenger 1996 Ford Windstar when it went through a stop sign at the intersection of Catalina Avenue and Wirt Street on the city's North Side and was struck broadside by a 1986 Lincoln traveling south.
Children not restrained
The children ranged in age from 10 months to 11 years, said Lt. Mark Milstead, who is investigating the crash, and they were not restrained by child-safety seats or safety belts. An infant was seated on an adult female passenger's lap, he said, and Alexander shared the third seat with four other unrestrained children, including two 3-year-olds who, by law, should have been in child safety seats.
Ohio law mandates that children under 4 or weighing less than 40 pounds be restrained in child safety seats.
Hernandez told police she was distracted by the children in the van, the police report said.
The man driving the car was not injured.