According to a report on The Press Democrat website, a man accused of DUI murder and hit-and-run has had his trial rescheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 16.
Court documents filed in Sonoma County Superior Court indicate that 37-year-old Charles Bernhardy of Santa Rosa is facing charges of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, hit-and-run involving injury or death, hit-and-run involving property damage.
Bernhardy is accused of causing a crash on September 6 that left a 23-year-old motorcyclist critically injured but later died of his injuries.
Investigators say that the crash happened at approximately 8:30 p.m. near Fountaingrove Parkway and Sedgemore Drive intersection. The Santa Rosa Police Department received a report of a two-vehicle crash. Officers arrived at the scene and found the motorcycle but no motorcyclist.
Bernhardy had rear-ended the biker with his pickup truck and dragged him approximately 2 miles before he hit a Honda Accord, then a center median before abandoning his vehicle near Fountain Grove and Mendocino Avenue.
The young biker was found and rushed to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Despite all life-saving efforts by doctors, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was removed from life-support two weeks later, on September 20.
Police later found Bernhardy at his home address and placed him under arrest the following day.
Bernhardy is expected to enter his plea in answer to the charges on November 16.
