California has enhancements that can be added to a DUI charge, making the penalties more severe. Enhancements are circumstances surrounding the DUI that the law considers more serious and the additional penalties are added accordingly. Some of the more common DUI enhancements are DUI with excessive blood-alcohol levels, DUI with excessive speeding, refusing a chemical DUI test, DUI causing serious injury or death, child endangerment DUI, DUI hit-and-run, and child endangerment DUI. Any of these can add additional penalties. Several enhancement charges can complicate a DUI charge even further. The Antelope Valley Times reports on a man facing enhanced DUI charges for the accident that killed his daughter.
28-year-old Kendrick Trevon Harris is facing DUI as well as several other charges stemming from a July 3rd accident. At about 4:50 p.m. on July 3rd, Harris was driving at the intersection of Avenue K and 20th Street East in Lancaster. He crashed into a utility pole with his three children in the back seat.
The children, aged 4, 5, and 9, were all injured. Four-year-old Kilee died at a hospital of her injuries. The other two children survived the accident.
Authorities believe that Harris was intoxicated at the time of the accident. He is facing a number of charges, which including one count of second-degree murder, driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury, driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08% causing injury, and three counts of child abuse.
Charges were filed against Harris on July 10th. An arraignment was scheduled for August 27th, but the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office reports that it has been postponed to September 25th.
Harris is being held on a $2.25 million dollar bond.
