Man charged after gas-soaked wife set ablaze

[July 23, 2011]  RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- A woman jumped from a pickup truck traveling at high speed on a Southern California freeway after the driver, her husband, splashed her with gasoline and set her ablaze, authorities said Friday.

The 23-year-old woman, whose name has been withheld, has serious injuries from the fall from the pickup and remains hospitalized at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley, California Highway Patrol Officer Sylvia Vargas said. The woman was expected to recover.

Constantino Monterrosas Gamez, 39, of Santa Ana was charged Tuesday with three felonies, including attempted murder with an allegation of domestic violence causing great bodily injury, false imprisonment and making criminal threats, district attorney's office spokesman John Hall said Friday.

Gamez remains jailed with bail set at $1 million pending arraignment July 28. There's no record that he has an attorney.

Gamez was driving a Chevrolet S-10 pickup on July 15 at speeds of up to 70 mph southbound on Interstate 15 in Corona when the couple began arguing, a patrol statement said.

Gamez was behind the wheel when he threw gasoline on the woman and used a cigarette lighter to set her on fire, the patrol said. The woman then jumped from the moving pickup and fell onto the roadway. She wasn't struck by any vehicles.

Gamez lost control of the pickup a short time later and crashed into a trash truck. The driver of the trash truck and Gamez weren't hurt.

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Information from: The Press-Enterprise, http://www.pe.com/

[Associated Press]

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