Rocky Ford family mourns the death of their dog after alleged drunk driver plows through their home

ROCKY FORD, Colo. (KRDO) - A family in Rocky Ford is literally picking up the pieces after an allegedly drunk driver plowed through their home in the middle of the night.

The incident happened one week ago, but today police arrested 48-year-old Alfredo Estrada.

While the family is grateful that no one was injured, they can't say the same for one beloved pet.

Homeowner Gary Reed says, "There's not probably an hour, maybe 2 hours during the night that I don't wake up and sometimes it's the explosion, but most of the time it's the dog."

Reed says the loud noise jarred him, his wife, and son out of their beds on the night of February 7th.

"When I walked in, you know, just the dust, the smell, the steam. And then I saw this pickup parked in my parked in my living room," Reed said.

He says he tried to get the attention of the driver, Alfredo Estrada, "He was kind of incoherent, you know, he was trying to start the car and trying to get it into gear."

That's when Gary realized he couldn't find Caiman, the family's beloved pet dog.

"A couple of fire department guys, they heard a dog whimpering, so they started throwing stuff. And we were able to find the dog had been thrown in the second bedroom. She had been thrown against the wall, and that's where she was laying," Reed said.

Reed says it didn't take long for Caiman to succumb to her injuries. Now, he's trying to cope with that loss as well as a massive home repair bill.

"Probably like $100,000, you know, maybe a little more, you know, and that's just on you know, it's just on the house...her being gone is tough. The sad part is Caiman was cut short by a lot of years," Reed said.

As for the driver of the truck, Alfredo Estrada is now facing a range of misdemeanors and felonies; including reckless driving, cruelty to animals, and vehicular assault DUI.