A woman accused of DUI had a stroke of luck as prosecutors dropped the DUI charges against her.
19-year-old Lynnea Hernandez had been driving a Lexus SUV on Highway 1 near Molera Road on March 21. She threw a cigarette out the window and accidentally veered into a Mazda 3 driver heading north.
24-year-old Nikolas Agustin Malliarodakis, the driver of the Mazda, was killed in the crash. Lillianne Scott, 19, was a passenger in the Lexus SUV. She succumbed to her injuries two days following the crash while in the hospital.
Six of the seven women in the SUV admitted to smoking marijuana before the crash. Hernandez herself admitted to authorities that she took a hydrocodone 10 minutes before the accident. The hydrocodone was legally prescribed to Hernandez.
Unfortunately for prosecutors, the bloodwork came back negative for Vicodin (brand name for hydrocodone) and inconclusive for marijuana.
The complaint was amended to drop the DUI charges. Hernandez pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges.
Hernandez has remained free since posting $3 million in bail. She is facing multiple counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving causing injury.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on December 16 in Monterey County Superior Court.
If you have been charged with DUI, you need experienced legal representation handling your case. All of our attorneys specialize in the defense of DUI charges. We can help with your case. Call us today.
