Woman Pleads Not Guilty To DUI, Manslaughter Charges
A Vista woman pleaded not guilty to drunken driving in connection with a crash that killed a San Clemente man, the North County News reported. California Highway Patrol officers said 24-year-old Tatiana Magruder of Oceanside was driving a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am on the Interstate 5 when she crossed all four lanes of traffic and rear-ended a 1998 Lincoln Navigator driven by 68-year-old Vaughn Leslie Powell near the Cockleburr Overcrossing.
Prosecutors allege Magruder tried to keep driving, but only made it a mile past the scene of the accident. Powell was ejected from the Lincoln and died at the scene. Magruder has been charged with drunken driving, fleeing the scene of an accident and manslaughter.
In the state of California, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. The result of the breath or blood test performed on the suspected drunken driver along with his or her prior criminal record and whether there were any injuries or fatalities involved in the alleged DUI accident, will determine the seriousness of the charges. It is very important for any DUI defendant to remember that while you may have been determined to have a BAC of 0.08 or higher, you can still be successfully defended against DUI charges.
Find out how we do it. If you or someone you know has been accused of drunken driving, call the Law Office of Stephen Brodsky to discuss your case and build your DUI defense.
