By Brandon Blanco, Helen Greenia, Gwynneth Redemann, & Koda Slingluff
SACRAMENTO, CA — A woman awaiting trial on driving under the influence and hit-and-run charges here in Sacramento County Superior Court was taken back into custody and sent to jail Tuesday following an altercation at Stringers Bar in Sacramento.
According to Deputy District Attorney Tara Crabill, on Aug. 31, April Currie and her brother arrived “tipsy” at Stingers Bar and began ordering pitchers of beer from the bartender.
The defendant was under the influence of alcohol, charged DDA Crabill, despite the conditions for release that were explicitly outlined by the court—that the defendant was not to “drink alcohol, do drugs, or drive a vehicle” prior to her trial.
After the defendant allegedly tried going behind the bar, the bartender asked Currie and her brother to leave Stingers, said the prosecutor.
Both the defendant and her brother allegedly refused to leave the bar. The brother then threatened to “beat up” the bartender and the security guard. He also threatened to “bring his gun” into the bar.
Although Currie never assaulted the bartender, according to surveillance cameras, she supposedly told the bartender that her brother was going to “kick” his “ass,” said DDA Crabill.
Assistant Public Defender Quoc-Ahn To argued that the altercation was “largely driven by her brother” and that, in video surveillance, the defendant is not seen being aggressive—instead she is making the effort to pull her brother away from the security guard.
Public Defender To continued making the case for Currie’s change in character, despite this recent incident, and to plead with the judge for leniency, noting the defendant is now in nursing school and has “turned her life around” since the alleged DUI and hit-and-run in 2018 and early 2019.
Currie addressed the court herself stating, “What I did was totally out of my character and not who I am at all as a person” and “I’m truly sorry and it will never happen again.”
PD To said, “She has recognized the things she has done in her past, she is trying to turn her life around.”
Despite the defense explaining Currie’s change in character over the past few years, Judge Patrick Marlette reminded her that actions have consequences.
“When people are convicted of breaking the law, there is a consequence. There is not a judgment if they are a ‘good person’ or a ‘bad person.’ It’s a judgment of what [the crime] is.”
Judge Marlette concluded, “[I] find that there is no sufficient restriction to protect the public safety from you.”
Currie was returned to custody without bail until the trial, set for Oct. 4.
