PORTLAND, Oregon — Dozens of people have shared messages of support online for the family of a Multnomah County librarian and mother of two who died on Saturday.
On July 15, Portland police responded to a crash around 6:25 p.m. near Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Southeast Taylor Street. Officers found a car that had gone through a bus stop and rolled over onto the sidewalk. A woman waiting at the bus stop, identified as Jeanie Diaz, died at the scene, police said.
Diaz, a mother to two daughters ages 5 and 8, had worked as a youth librarian at Belmont Library, next to the bus stop where she died.
Police arrested the driver, 48-year-old Kevin Michael Scott, on charges of manslaughter in the first degree, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, but was released after posting 10% of his $50,000 bond.
According to a probable cause document, the police officer assigned to investigate the crash reported that Scott's vehicle made a last-minute lane change, rear-ended the passenger side of a van, went onto the grass and hit a woman at the bus stop before ended up on its roof.
Several officers who responded to the deadly crash reported smelling alcohol on Scott's breath. He told police that there would be alcohol in his blood because he drank one beer while golfing earlier that day. Police found a flask inside Scott's vehicle that was "about 1/3rd full of liquid that smelled of a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage," the probable cause document says. Police also reported that Scott's driver's license had expired.
Scott is scheduled to appear in court on July 25.
There have been 36 traffic-related deaths in Portland since the start of the year, and Diaz's death marked the fifth traffic death in the span of 10 days, Portland police said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a GoFundMe has raised over $63,000 for Diaz's family. Dozens of people shared stories about how they met Diaz and how she impacted their lives.
"She was our very much loved youth librarian and we are all still in shock with this news," one person wrote.
Others said they didn't know Diaz, but shared their condolences.
"She sounds like an incredible person. I love that library and the friendly people there," someone wrote.
Another message reads, "I ride the bus often and can only imagine it could've been me at the stop. I hope her memory is a blessing."
Diaz had been a Multnomah County Library employee since 2015.
"Jeanie radiated passion for her work with children and literacy. In her many years with the library she touched the lives of innumerable young children and families across the county," said Vailey Oehlke, the director of libraries for the Multnomah County Library system.
