One of the drivers in a March crash in Buena Vista County that killed a Nemaha woman has been charged with vehicular homicide. According to court records, 28-year-old Jorge Ardany Ortega-Ortega of Cherokee is charged with homicide by vehicle—reckless driving, a class C felony, for the March 19 death of 65-year-old Rose Bumsted of Nemaha. Authorities allege Ortega-Ortega was traveling westbound in a 2020 Honda Civic on Iowa Highway 3 and moved into the eastbound lane for over a mile to make a lefthand turn onto County Road M27, about seven miles east of Cherokee. Ortega-Ortega collided head on with Bumsted’s vehicle, and she died as a result of her injuries. As of Thursday, Ortega-Ortega remains in custody at the Buena Vista County jail on a $20,000 cash-only bond after making his preliminary hearing in court on Wednesday. He faces up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines if convicted.
