NBC News in Palm Springs reports that a motorist who has multiple DUI convictions is now accused of killing a Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy and his daughter in a crash near San Jacinto.
Officials say that on November 13, at approximately 9:00 p.m. 47-year-old Scott Brandon Bales of Moreno Valley was driving westbound on Gilman Springs Road, east of Bridge Street when his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck collided head-on with a Honda sedan being driven by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy.
The crash claimed the lives of both the deputy and his 19-year-old daughter who were pronounced dead at the scene.
A passenger who was with Bales was also critically injured.
An investigation of the crash scene indicated that Bales’ truck crossed over the double yellow line and into eastbound traffic where it collided with the sedan.
CHP officers responding to the scene found that Bales was intoxicated at the time of the fatal crash. He was placed under arrest for DUI causing great bodily injury.
Bales was arraigned on the charges before Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton. A felony settlement conference has been set for January 31st at the Banning Justice Center.
Court documents indicate that Bales has three prior DUI convictions – in 2009, 2011, and a felony DUI conviction in 2015.
Because of his past DUI convictions, Bales is also facing sentence enhancements and could be facing the charge of murder.