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Inset: Crash victim Jackson Greenfell (GoFundMe). Background: The Chevrolet Malibu that Oscar Regis was allegedly driving “recklessly” when he killed passenger Jackson Greenfell (Hillsboro Police Department).
A 19-year-old from Oregon, under the influence of Four Loko, tragically ended the life of a teenage passenger during a reckless drive that climaxed with a crash into a pole at 76 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to law enforcement and prosecutors.
Oscar Regis is accused of engaging in a dangerous drive that reached speeds up to 99 mph. He allegedly threatened another driver at a red light with a firearm and consumed Four Loko while operating the vehicle. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Regis was maneuvering his Chevrolet Malibu through traffic before finally colliding with a substantial light pole.
Jackson Greenfell, who had only met Regis earlier that Monday evening, was seated in the back and suffered fatal injuries. The affidavit notes that Greenfell was “intubated, had a breathing tube, and likely had a brain bleed” before passing away at a nearby hospital.
A girl who was sitting alongside Greenfell in the back seat endured a fractured cheekbone requiring surgery, additional facial fractures, and a broken spine coupled with a concussion. The surgery involved inserting metal plates into her face.
“These injuries will be with her for life,” the girl’s mother stated during a detention hearing for Regis on Friday, as reported by The Oregonian. “The trauma she has suffered is extraordinary,” she added.
Regis, who was 19 at the time of the crash and is now 20, was ordered to remain in jail without bond pending a criminal trial following the fatal crash in Hillsboro, which happened on Feb. 9. He is facing numerous charges, including manslaughter, assault, driving under the influence and recklessly endangering other people.
A detective who testified during the Friday hearing recounted speaking with Regis afterward.
“What have I done?” Regis allegedly proclaimed.
“He then talked about how his father had recently told him that something like this was going to happen if he continued his behavior,” the detective recalled, according to The Oregonian.
Regis did not suffer any injuries in the crash and allegedly fled from the scene on foot. He had a “black and white letterman jacket” on that night that had “blood on the right elbow” when cops found him, the affidavit says.
A person on the road called 911 approximately five minutes prior to the crash and allegedly reported seeing a Chevrolet Malibu driving “recklessly westbound when it split lanes and passed other vehicles” on Tualatin Valley 49 Highway near 185th Avenue in Washington County. Police were called to the scene of the crash at around 8:42 p.m., per the affidavit.
One of the passengers, described by prosecutors as a friend of Regis’ who was sitting in the front seat of the Malibu, told cops it was his vehicle but he “knew he was too impaired by alcohol to drive, so he let Oscar drive prior to the crash,” according to the affidavit.
“[The friend] said Oscar far exceeded the speed limit prior to the crash,” the affidavit alleges.
Prosecutors said Friday that Regis met both Greenfell and the female passenger for the first time that evening. He was allegedly drinking cans of Four Loko in the car while driving and admitted to cops he also consumed Modelo beer after exhibiting signs of impairment “including glossy eyes, odor of alcoholic beverage, and thick speech,” the affidavit says.
“The loss of our child has left a permanent void in our lives that can never be filled,” said Tanya LaBarr-Green, Greenfell’s mother, in court Friday. “His life was stolen because of a series of deliberate and conscious choices.”
Car data from the Malibu allegedly showed that Regis was going 76 mph in a 35 mph zone seconds before the crash. Regis’ defense attorney, Ryan Anfuso, called for his release with strict security conditions, but Washington County Circuit Judge Oscar Garcia reportedly rejected the argument.
“This is an extremely, beyond reckless incident,” Garcia said. “I have no confidence that any of these conditions would somehow keep the community safe.”
Prosecutors noted in court how just weeks before the crash, Regis allegedly sideswiped a car while driving his stepmother’s Mini Cooper. He was accused of fleeing from the scene of that crash, as well, but he was not criminally charged.
Regis admitted to cops that he used to hang out with a group of kids who would steal and crash Kia vehicles and that it’s “normal for him to run from crashes,” according to The Oregonian.
He is due back in court for a status hearing on March 6.