A Florida woman has been arrested in connection with a fatal crash that occurred on U.S. 97 in Klamath County in February 2024.
Desiree Danielle Johnson, 35, was taken into custody by the Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force in Pinellas Park, Florida, according to Oregon State Police.
Johnson faces charges including criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault and reckless driving.
Oregon State Police requested U.S. Marshals Service assistance after Johnson failed to appear in court.
The crash happened on Feb. 29, 2024, when Johnson’s southbound Peterbilt commercial motor vehicle lost control and jackknifed, crossing into the path of a northbound Honda Pilot. The Honda’s driver, 37-year-old Elise Adair Farrens of La Pine, died in the collision.
A passenger in the Honda, 23-year-old Daviana Marie Trussell of La Pine, was critically injured and also lost her unborn child as a result of the crash.
Johnson, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, is being held at the Pinellas County Jail before being transferred to Oregon.
This story was drafted with the assistance of generative AI based on data from Oregon State Police and reviewed by Oregonian editorial staff.