Father Reportedly High on Meth During Tragic Crash That Killed Two Children in St. George

Circumstances have come to light regarding the tragic crash that took the lives of two young boys from the Romero family in St. George on October 29. 

Eric Bowen Babauta, the 36-year-old father of the two children and driver of the vehicle in the crash, was reportedly high on methamphetamine during the time of the crash. 

The unfortunate circumstances don’t end there however, as Babauta has been charged with two counts of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, violation of a protective order release agreement, two counts of DUI with a passenger under the age of 16, and reckless driving. 

The protective order release agreement mentioned in the list of charges is from a domestic abuse charge that led to Babauta’s arrest on October 19. He was released under the condition that he would not go anywhere the children’s mother, in laments terms, a restraining order. 

The criminal history doesn’t end there. Babauta has been arrested in the state of Utah three times since 2014 with a myriad of charges on his record. Criminal mischief, aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, and domestic violence assault are just some of the items on the list of charges for Babauta. 

Babauta’s also been arrested ten times in the state of Oregon and has a felony warrant out for his arrest in the west coast state. The only reason he hasn’t been arrested is because officials from Oregon wouldn’t extradite him from Utah.  

Babauta is expected to survive as he continues to recover at St. George Regional Hospital, but a list of charges awaits him once he recovers.