Crime & Safety
Sentencing Date Set for Drunk Laguna Beach Woman Who Triggered Fatal Crash
Leslie Juarez admitted being drunk in an accident that killed a motorcyclist on the 405 freeway in March 2012.
An Oct. 17 sentencing date is scheduled for a 28-year-old woman who admitted driving drunk and triggering a crash that killed a motorcyclist and injured another driver on the San Diego (405) Freeway in Irvine, a prosecutor said today.
Leslie Juarez of Laguna Beach Juarez faces between seven to 13 years in prison, Deputy District Attorney Anna McIntire said.
Juarez entered an open guilty plea Tuesday before Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg Prickett, meaning there's no guarantee what punishment she will receive, the prosecutor said.
Juarez's attorney, Ralph Rios, declined comment.
Juarez was speeding southbound near Sand Canyon on March 29, 2012, when her 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse collided with a 2006 Nissan Sentra driven by 21- year-old Joelle Friedlander, said Deputy District Attorney Nancy Hayashida, the prior prosecutor on the case.
Friedlander lost control of the Sentra, which veered over the center divider and into the northbound lanes. Friedlander's car was disabled and she got out and ran to the center median, Hayashida said.
About two minutes later, 32-year-old J.C. Droege's northbound 1991 Suzuki motorcycle slammed into the Sentra, Hayashida said.
Droege was pronounced dead at the scene and Friedlander was taken to a hospital to be treated for a fractured ankle and other injuries.
About two hours after the crash, Juarez's blood-alcohol level was measured at .23 percent, nearly three times the legal limit, Hayashida said.
-- City News Service
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