By Gracy Joslin and Ivan Villegas
WOODLAND, CA – A jury here in County Superior Court this week found the accused guilty Thursday, after a one-day trial, on all four charged misdemeanors counts, including driving under the influence, drunk driving, hit and run causing property damage and driving on a suspended license.
His sentencing is set for early September.
In final statements Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Allen said if the accused is truthful about what he said happened, “he needs new friends and is the most unlucky human on the planet.”
The man is not being identified because the Vanguard does not name most misdemeanor suspects.
Kimberly Sand, a criminologist for West Sacramento, took the stand Wednesday, testifying about several hypotheticals relating to blood alcohol content and its effect on the body. While questioned, Sand had to ask for pen, paper, and a calculator in order to accurately answer Allen’s questions, stating, “just one moment please…it’s a complex situation.”
Deputy Public Defender Eric Arias objected multiple times to DDA Allen’s questions.
DDA Allen began the prosecution’s closing statement, casting doubt on the reliability of the accused’s testimony. As stated above, Allen said to the jury “if what we just heard is true…he needs new friends, and he is the most unlucky human on the planet.”
PD Arias, while giving the defense closing statement, repeated the same line that had been objected to by DDA Allen and sustained by Judge Fall, who noted, “Counsel, that is the objection I just sustained.”
DDA Allen had the last word, and claimed the theory presented by the defense, that someone else was the driver that crashed, was baseless.
“Don’t you think that [if someone else] was the driver, that maybe that person would have been called, or somebody to testify to that effect?” Allen asked the jury.
Judge Fall then gave the jury instructions with a light-hearted tone.
While explaining that the jury should not decide guilt at the flip of a coin, Judge Fall laughed, “I’ve had three chance verdicts in 27 years…but I haven’t had the coin flip yet, don’t be the first jury, please, to give me one.” 
