An alleged drunk driver who was celebrating his 30th birthday was ordered Tuesday to stand trial for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the death of a Chula Vista woman.
Enid Diane Mayer-Sheaf, 61, was killed in a head-on crash with a Fiat 500 driven by Anthony Perez Rodriguez, of San Diego, on July 22 at 6:20 p.m. at 14100 Carmel Valley Road near Camino Del Sur.
The blood/alcohol level of Rodriguez was .16, said Deputy District Attorney Lauren Ogata, which is twice the limit for drunk driving. According to testimony, Rodriguez drank beers at a Padres game, had tequila and more beer at a bar, and then drove himself home after having at least seven drinks, said Ogata.
Ogata unsuccessfully urged San Diego Superior Court Judge David Rubin to raise his $100,000 bond to $300,000 bail and remand him to jail. She said the circumstances had changed because Rubin ordered him to stand trial at a preliminary hearing.
Rodriguez’s attorney, Jan Ronis, said Rodriguez wears an ankle device which detects whether he drinks alcohol, lives with his wife at home, and no longer drives as he has lost his driver’s license.
Rodriguez is attending two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week as required by his bond condition and takes Antabuse, a drug that makes one experience an immediate hangover if alcohol is consumed. He is forbidden from going to bars.
Rubin looked at the ankle bracelet that Rodriguez wears and denied the bail increase. Rodriguez pleaded not guilty, and a trial date was set for Feb. 2, 2016 after he waived his right for a speedy trial.
San Diego Police officer Juan Munoz testified Rodriguez told him he was driving in the east bound lane of Carmel Valley Road when “all of the sudden, it(the victim’s car) was in his lane.”
The roof was removed from the Chevrolet Nova which Mayer-Sheaf was driving to retrieve her from the vehicle, but she later died. Her car was pushed onto the sidewalk in the crash.
A motorist, Jason Mordhorst, testified he came upon the accident while driving home from work and he put two hard hats in the road to direct other drivers past the collision scene. He said he saw Mayer-Sheaf slumped over the steering wheel.
Orlando Castro testified he went with Rodriguez to the Padres/San Francisco Giants baseball game via the Uber ride-sharing program. He said Rodriguez was intoxicated when they later arrived at his home, and he was passed out when Rodriguez left.
San Diego Police officer Jason Costanza testified he administered seven sobriety tests to Rodriguez and arrested him at the crash scene. Costanza said Rodriguez’s eyes were bloodshot, his speech was slurred, and he smelled alcohol on his breath.
Attorneys reached a stipulation as to the cause of death without calling medical witnesses. Mayer-Sheaf suffered fractures of the skull, ribs, femur and other bones and she died of multiple blunt force trauma.
Rodriguez is also charged with driving while impaired on the wrong side of a road. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison.
