Chico,CA : Chico woman charged in deadly Highway 32 wreck on October, Tuesday 31st 2017

A Chico woman accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a deadly crash in September west of Chico has been charged in Butte County Superior Court, court papers show.

Christine Rowe, 68, was charged Tuesday with a felony count gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, a felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and a felony count of driving with a 0.08 percent blood alcohol content causing injury, according to court documents.

Rowe has not yet made an initial court appearance, and a warrant for her arrest has been requested.

It was unclear whether she has retained an attorney.

Rowe’s charges stem from a head-on crash Sept. 9 on Highway 32 that left 22-year-old Corning resident Luis Saucedo dead.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Rowe was driving east on the highway, east of Meridian Road, about 9:30 p.m. when the Toyota Camry she was driving drifted to the right and struck a bridge rail.

The crash forced Rowe’s car into the oncoming westbound lane and into the path of a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Saucedo, according to the CHP.

Saucdeo wasn’t able to avoid a collision and his truck rolled over several times, ejecting Saucdeo and his passengers, according to court documents. Saucdeo suffered fatal injuries, and his passengers were hurt.

The CHP suspected Rowe was driving under the influence of alcohol, and she was taken to Enloe Medical Center in Chico after suffering “moderate” injuries in the wreck.

According to the investigating officer, Rowe admitted to drinking alcohol at a restaurant before getting behind the wheel.

Source :
Chico woman charged in deadly Highway 32 wreck