BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Over St. Patrick's Day weekend, a young couple was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver. Now local attorneys and advocates are asking for support in petitioning for stricter DUI sentences.
- 30-year-old Max Mooney and his wife, Desiree had gone out for drinks and called for a rideshare to take them home. Around 1:37 a.m. on March 16, their vehicle, carrying the couple, another passenger, and the driver, was hit at the corner of Stockdale Highway and Coffee Road.
- The attorneys at Chain Cohn and Clark, along with advocates from Mothers Against Drunk Driving and local families, are asking the community to support a petition to lawmakers that calls for enhanced sentencing for first-time DUI offenders.
Over St. Patrick's Day weekend, a young couple was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver. Now local attorneys and advocates are asking for support in petitioning for stricter DUI sentences.
30-year-old Max Mooney and his wife, Desiree had gone out for drinks and called for a rideshare to take them home. Around 1:37 a.m. on March 16, their vehicle, carrying the couple, another passenger, and the driver, was hit at the corner of Stockdale Highway and Coffee Road.
The driver of the car that struck them was 21-year-old Anabel Correa, who, according to court documents, admitted to drinking that night and registered a 0.088 percent on a field sobriety test.
"Last year alone, 37 people were killed on our county roads and drunk driving accidents," said local attorney Matt Clark. "It's an issue that's ripe in everyone's mind right now."
The attorneys at Chain Cohn and Clark, along with advocates from Mothers Against Drunk Driving and local families, are asking the community to support a petition to lawmakers that calls for enhanced sentencing for first-time DUI offenders.
Todd Farnsworth, whose daughter Jourdan now requires 24-hour care after being struck by a DUI driver who fled the scene, shared his experience with the issue.
“Every time here in Bakersfield, you hear of the news, you see the news. It refreshes that as a victim," he said.
Farnsworth shared that they were called after the couple was killed on St. Patrick's Day given their experience with the fallout of DUI.
“[The driver] fled the country," he said, "It took five years, and you know, that's another thing that's really hard about this. We ended up going to court 30 times for a one DUI.”
The group is advocating for changes such as mandatory ignition interlock devices for first-time offenders and longer sentences. Currently, first-time DUI offenders face sentences ranging from two days in jail to six months.
“I cannot change the law as a civil lawyer, but I can call on those at the state level who have the ability to do so," Clark said.
Correa was arraigned Tuesday on 10 charges, including eight felonies, such as two second-degree murder charges, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and four counts of felony DUI. She is being held without bail and is due back in court for a pre-preliminary hearing on April 3.
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