Patch.com reported on Monday that a former police officer with the Pleasanton Police Department had been charged with second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter in connection to a fatal crash while intoxicated.
On Monday, the Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office released a statement saying that 63-year-old Theodore Youg of Sonora had a previous DUI conviction in September 2017. Young was arrested for a second time on Saturday, January 22, 2022, for his role in a crash that left a 27-year-old woman dead.
Authorities say that the accident happened on Tuesday, January 18, when Young was heading northbound in his pickup truck on State Route 49. The female victim was traveling southbound on the same highway when Young’s pickup truck veered over a double yellow line and into the southbound lane. The two vehicles crashed head-on.
After being extricated from her demolished vehicle, they airlifted the young woman from the scene to an area hospital for treatment. Doctors later declared her brain-dead. Her family later took her off of life support.
Young was uninjured in the accident. He was arrested at the scene and taken into custody. Young later posted bail and was released.
On Saturday, Young was re-arrested and charged with second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated causing brain injury, and driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.08 percent.
District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke told reporters that according to California law, anyone who has been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs knows it is dangerous to human life and can be charged with murder.
Jenecke assured the public that despite Young having been a former police officer, he would not be given preferential treatment in the case.
