Man charged in fatal Jonesborough crash arraigned

JONESBOROUGH — A man charged with vehicular homicide in a crash that killed a motorcyclist in Jonesborough was arraigned Thursday.  Alfonso Vasquez-Morales, 33, made his second appearance in Washington County sessions court Thursday afternoon. He's facing several charges related to a head-on crash with a motorcycle on Highway 107 near Jackson Bridge Tuesday that killed a 69-year-old.  A judge raised Vasquez-Morales' total bond to $1,025,000 Wednesday after District Attorney General Steve Finney said he was concerned the man wouldn't appear back in court if released from custody.  Finney cited affidavits that say Vasquez-Morales told deputies multiple times, "I'm going back to Mexico, I didn't do nothing wrong," while he was being arrested. The district attorney also said Vasquez-Morales didn't have any local ties to the area. Vasquez-Morales, a native Spanish speaker, testified Thursday that he lives in Jonesborough and gave deputies his previous Kingsport address because he couldn't remember his new one. Vasquez-Morales said he had moved from Kingsport to the new address four months ago and lives with his brother and 14-year-old son. He added that he's lived in East Tennessee for almost three years. A close friend of Vasquez-Morales, Abraham Hernandez, attended the hearing and provided his friend's Jonesborough address to the judge. Prosecutors confirmed Thursday that Vasquez-Morales is under an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold (ICE). That means that if he were to post bond, federal authorities would assume custody of him.    Vasquez-Morales was originally set to be arraigned Wednesday but the full proceedings were postponed to Thursday so a court interpreter could be present. In addition to vehicular homicide by intoxication, deputies have also charged Vasquez-Morales with the following, according to affidavits: Driving on right side of the roadway No driver's license Reckless driving Financial responsibility law Introduction of contraband into a penal facility Possession of methamphetamine   A crash investigation found that the GMC Terrain Vasquez-Morales was driving crossed into the opposite lane and struck the motorcycle head on, according to an affidavit. Deputies' investigation identified the motorcyclist killed in the crash as William Richard Sauer, according to a news release from WCSO. The 69-year-old man, a Brooksville, Florida resident, died on the scene from his injuries. Vasquez-Morales told deputies that he drank "six or seven" beers before he got behind the wheel Tuesday afternoon, according to an affidavit. During his arrest, deputies also found a small amount of methamphetamine in his pocket. The 33-year-old provided deputies with his passport from Mexico and did not have a driver's license or insurance at the time of his arrest.  His next court hearing is set for Friday, July 17 at 9 a.m. in sessions court.