ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 14CF1047
Date: April 21, 2015
SANTA ANA – A driver was sentenced today to 11 years in state prison for driving under the influence of methamphetamine and killing a cyclist in a hit-and-run crash. Sommer Nicole Gonzales, 19, Tustin, pleaded guilty today to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated, one felony count of hit and run with death, one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, one misdemeanor count of use and under the influence of a controlled substance, one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia, and a sentencing enhancement allegation for fleeing the scene of a vehicular manslaughter.
At approximately 6:55 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2014, Gonzales drove under the influence of methamphetamine in her Toyota Corolla sedan southbound on Santiago Canyon Road, in unincorporated Orange County near Loma Ridge Road, and veered into the bike lane. She struck 21-year-old Joseph Robinson, who was lawfully riding his bike within the marked bike lane. Gonzales fled the scene without stopping to render any assistance to the victim or reporting the accident. A witness, who was driving in the vicinity of the hit and run, saw substantial damage to Gonzales’ vehicle and called 911 to give a description of her car. Continue reading
