BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Three petty misdemeanor charges were filed June 9 in Los Alamos Magistrate Court in mid-June against Nadia Lopez, the driver accused of crashing September 9 into the vehicle driven by former Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charles McMillan. Sadly, McMillan succumbed to his injuries at Los Alamos Medical Center.

Lopez is charged with speeding (over by 11-15 mph), careless driving (full time and attention) and failure to maintain traffic lane. She has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. The 293-page Los Alamos Police Department report and witness accounts indicate that Charles McMillan and his wife, Janet, were leaving Los Alamos, driving on East Road 543 feet west of Camino Entrada shortly after 5:15 a.m. Friday, September 6, 2024. Lopez was driving towards Los Alamos when her vehicle suddenly swerved suddenly into the oncoming lane and crashed into the McMillans’ vehicle.

Lopez has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is slated to appear in Los Alamos Magistrate Court Aug. 5 before Judge Delilah Montano Baca. Judge Catherine Taylor has been excused in the case. Lopez is represented by Los Alamos attorney Bill Snowden.

The Los Alamos Reporter will follow this case as it proceeds.