As reported by The Tribune News in San Luis Obispo, a young man has pleaded not guilty in a DUI that involved the deaths of two of his passengers, while the CHP has reported that his blood alcohol level registered three times the legal driving limit in California.
E.G., 21, pleaded not guilty on June 22 to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and driving without a license, in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.
The two passengers that lost their lives were two other twenty-one year old young men: A.N. of Castro Valley and A.B. of Eureka. Another twenty-one year old passenger, J.Z. of Castro Valley, survived the crash but sustained major injuries.
E.G. was the "designated driver" of a 2004 Saturn before it rolled over multiple times on June 17 at approximately 2 a.m. on Avila Beach Drive.
E.G. posted his bail amount, $150,000, on June 21.
After the hearing Ilan Funke-Bilu, E.G.'s attorney, said, "These were his best friends. It's a very emotionally complex period in this man's young life, and he plans on attending both funerals. At this juncture, it's more about mourning than about guilt or innocence."
E.G. attended the arraignment with his arm in a sling due to his own injuries sustained in the crash.
E.G. told police that he was driving the vehicle to his parent's home in Avila Beach prior to the incident.
The officers conducted two blood-alcohol tests on E.G.: One showed a level of 0.245 and the other 0.232. The legal limit for driving in California is 0.08.
J.Z. reportedly told officers that he was unsure of the speed the car was traveling but that it was "definitely freeway speeds or a little more." CHP reports state that E.G. told officers that he was driving about the posted speed limit of 45 mph.
Surveillance videos, taken at a Pizzeria and a bar, showed that the group started with two pitchers of light beer and then moved onto shooters of hard liquor.
At a third establishment - the bar manager identified A.B. as someone that appeared so drunk that she only would serve him water and A.N. as another that vomited into a bar glass - the group had to be escorted out by security.
That's when the young men decided it was time to get on the road.
E.G. told officers at the scene that he was the "designated driver" for the group and stated, "I'm not intoxicated, so don't worry about me."
E.G. reportedly shouted out to his friends, the two that died at the scene, while they were still trapped in the vehicle.
Since the age of 17 E.G. had been having issues with alcohol. While still a minor, he was arrested in Alameda County on suspicion of DUI and public intoxication.
H was cited a second time as a minor, this time for alcohol possession, in Butte County in 2009.
E.G.'s report stated that he received training on the dangers of drinking and driving at least "three separate occasions" before his latest crash.
If you have been charged with a DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI, contact a DUI attorney that is well versed in the laws governing your state.