A Cherokee man has been convicted of charges related to a fatal accident involving a Sac County woman in March 2025. According to online court records, 28-year-old Jorge Ardany Ortega-Ortega was found guilty by a jury of peers for reckless driving that resulted in a head-on collision in Buena Vista County near the intersection of County Highway M27 and Highway 3 on March 19, 2025. Ortega-Ortega was traveling west when he crossed into the eastbound lane, and stayed driving there for several miles where he then hit 65-year-old Rose Bumsted of Nemaha, who died as a result of the injuries sustained in the crash. The guilty verdict to the class C felony charge was delivered on March 12, and a sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5 where he could be sentenced to up to ten years in prison. However, today (Wednesday), the defense has submitted a motion for a new trial, challenging the guilty verdict. If the motion is accepted, Ortega-Ortega will face a new jury at a later date.
