Woman Charged with 5th DUI
Posted By Law Offices of Gregory H. Comings on Oct 21, 2010 10:20am PDT
After being arrested four times previously for driving under the influence, Rebecca Vela faced serious criminal charges when her fifth DUI led to a fatality.
The first three charges were only considered misdemeanors and led to penalties such as fines and fifteen days in jail. By the fourth, she was charged with a felony and was punished with a year of imprisonment followed by a five year probation.
On April 18, 2009, Vela relapsed and after watching a tape of her father's funeral and drinking, drove off when her designated driver left the car running. Driving over 70 mph, she struck the back of the victim's motorcycle, drove off and ran into a sound wall with the motorcycle still jammed under her vehicle.
Prosecutors sought a second-degree murder conviction instead of the typical vehicular manslaughter and managed to slap the defendant with a 15-years-to-life sentence in jail.
If you or a loved one have recently been charged with a DUI, it is absolutely imperative that you do not hesitate to contact a skilled Riverside DUI lawyer as quickly as possible. By working with a Riverside criminal defense attorney at the Law Offices of Gregory H. Comings, you can begin to build your defense to protect your rights.