Delaware: Woman accused of dragging trooper with SUV surrenders
Delaware News Journal USA TODAY NETWORK
The 52-year-old woman charged with dragging a Delaware state trooper down the road with her SUV last week turned herself in to police after she had a panic attack over the incident and ended up in the emergency room, court documents say.
The Delaware State Police trooper, an 18-year veteran of the force, was on foot directing traffic at Kirkwood Highway and Farrand Drive in Milltown about 2 p.m. because the traffic lights were out, Master Cpl. Michael Austin said. His patrol vehicle's lights were on, and it was parked in the middle of the intersection blocking traffic.
The trooper was wearing a bright yellow traffic vest.
That's when Yira Graciano-Toala drove up, according to court documents.
She ignored the trooper's directions and tried to drive through the intersection in her black 2011 Cadillac SRX.
The trooper stopped her, trying to prevent Graciano-Toala from driving into oncoming traffic, court documents say.
She rolled down her window and they began talking. At some point, the trooper asked for her license, registration and proof of insurance, court documents said.
She refused and started to drive away. The trooper, who was leaning against the driver's side door, grabbed onto the car as she accelerated so he wouldn't be pushed into oncoming traffic, cour t documents said.
He shouted at Graciano-Toala, telling her to stop. She said 'no' and sped up toward Kirkwood Gardens, court documents said.
The trooper, still holding onto the SUV, kept yelling at Graciano-Toala to pull over. The passenger in the SUV also pleaded with Graciano-Toala but was ignored.
Afraid Graciano-Toala was steering toward the brick Kirkwood Gardens neighborhood sign in an attempt to force him off, the trooper let go and fell onto the roadway, rolling toward the grassy median, court documents said.
The trooper was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and released later that evening, police said.
Graciano-Toala drove away.
She was pulled over a short time later near Dicksonson High School, but due to a lack of specific information about the incident, was let go, court documents said. The officer who stopped her noted what appeared to be marks/scratches on the driver's side door. He saw a second passenger in the back seat.
The SUV had a vanity license plate with Graciano-Toala's first name, 'YIRA.'
Police reviewed security footage from surrounding businesses to get a more detailed description of the SUV, court documents said. A witness told police the license plate was four digits and had the letter 'Y' on it, which lined up with the SUV pulled over near the high school.
Video surveillance show Graciano-Toala went home, then left the house a few minutes later.
Police got a search warrant to search her SUV but had to use OnStar GPS to find it.
The SUV was parked at a relative's house, cour t documents said.
Graciano-Toala was taken into custody Friday, after she had a panic attack 'due to her involvement with the trooper being drug' and went to the emergency room, court documents say.
She told hospital staff that she wanted to turn herself in, and they called the police.
Graciano-Toala was charged with disregarding a police officer’s signal, first-degree reckless endangering, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, vehicular assault, tampering with physical evidence and reckless driving.
She has since been released on a $15,600 unsecured bail.
Graciano-Toala's husband, Pedro Toala,wase featured in The News Journal in 2006 after he was left paralyzed from the chest down in a cruel prank involving a Porta-John. He was inside when some kids tipped the portable toilet over, breaking his spinal cord, according to The News Journal's archives. The family has long lived on Milltown Road, in a house renovated to be more accessible after Pedro's accident.
This is the second time a trooper was dragged by a vehicle in the same neighborhood.
In December 2017, a trooper fired his gun through the windshield as he was dragged by a car he pulled over in a traffic stop. The trooper freed himself before the car drove up Farrand Drive, through a fence and into a creek. The driver was killed.
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