Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

3 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

4 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

4 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

4 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

4 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

4 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

4 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

4 days ago
Smittcamp: DUI death = murder
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 9 years ago on
November 22, 2016

Share

It’s a simple message, but one that bears repeating especially during this holiday season: don’t drink and drive. That piece of advice is nothing new for District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and other law enforcement leaders who spoke with the media at a recent news conference. What is new is the veracity of which Smittcamp will go after repeat DUI drivers who kill someone.

She didn’t mince her words. “If you kill someone while driving under the influence and you have a prior conviction for that same offense, you can be convicted of second degree murder and face a sentence of 15 years to life.”

Other law enforcement members joined Smittcamp, including Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer. “Oftentimes, we talk about the homicides and that being a violent crime. Well, driving under the influence of alcohol, getting involved in a collision, inuring or killing someone: that too is a violent crime.”

Lt. Rob Krider of the California Highway Patrol says it’s about justice. “The California Highway Patrol really likes working with the DA’s office because they make sure that justice is taken care of all the way to the end.”

Complicating things this year is the passage of Prop 64, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. “Driving under the influence of marijuana is not legal. That’s a really important message to send out,” Smittcamp warned. “If we can prove it, we will prosecute them.”

Law enforcement will have to use different means to determine if a person is too high to drive than they would if a person drinks too much. While a Breathalyzer can be used to help measure Blood Alcohol Content, no such device exists for marijuana use and driving. Smittcamp says they would have to use objective measures.

“We do know we are going to come across more individual s under the influence of marijuana,” Dyer said. “(Our officers) look for individuals who are driving impaired. After the traffic stop is made, if they smell alcohol or marijuana on that individual, if they objective symptoms of that individual being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they will put them through a field sobriety test.”

Dyer says that the level of marijuana intoxication does not matter when it comes to driving impaired. He admits it would make their lives easier if there was a standard.

Smittcamp cited five second-degree murder convictions so far this year in fatal DUI accidents, where the suspect had prior DUI arrests:

March 16: Angelito Romero

September 14: Luis Moreno

October 18: Cesar Moreno

November 18: Isidro Maravilla Munguia

November 18: Rien Ban

“These cases were gut wrenching. They ruined families. They take parents away from their children. They take children away from their parents. They endanger every single one of us,” Smittcamp continued. She further wrote in a news release “they were the direct result of these defendants’ choice to drink and get behind the wheel.”

The penalty for a second degree murder conviction is 15 years to life.

E-mail David Taub

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

DON'T MISS

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

UP NEXT

Fresno Police to Conduct DUI Checkpoint on Fourth of July, Boost Holiday Patrols

UP NEXT

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

UP NEXT

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

UP NEXT

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

UP NEXT

Riverdale High School Coach Arrested for Allegedly Arranging to Meet Minor

UP NEXT

After Record Democratic Speech, House Republicans Begin Final Vote on Trump Tax-Cut Bill

UP NEXT

Could Cuddly Colby Be the Darling Gem for You?

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Wall Street Knocked Lower by Tariff Jitters, Musk’s Political Plan Hurts Tesla

1 hour ago

Trial Over Free Speech on Campus, and Trump’s Student Crackdown, Begins

1 hour ago

Planned Parenthood Sues Trump Administration Over Planned Defunding

1 hour ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Injures 1 Firefighter, Burns Over 80,000 Acres

1 hour ago

Two Border Patrol Officers Injured After Gunman Opens Fire in Texas

1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest 9 at Independence Day DUI Checkpoint

2 hours ago

Schumer Wants Probe of National Weather Service Response in Texas

2 hours ago

Israeli Guilt Over Gaza Lurks Beneath Silence and Denial

2 hours ago

Trump Criticized for Using Antisemitic ‘Shylock’ to Describe Bankers

2 hours ago

Iran President Says Open to Dialogue With US, Accuses Israel of Assassination Attempt

2 hours ago

Fresno County Fish Fire Burns 15 Acres Near Avocado Lake, 50% Contained

Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of a small wildfire that broke out Monday morning near Trimmer Springs Road, north of Avocado...

11 minutes ago

Firefighters stopped the forward progress of the Fish Fire near Avocado Lake after it burned 15 acres Monday, July 7, 2025, reaching 50% containment. (CalFire)
11 minutes ago

Fresno County Fish Fire Burns 15 Acres Near Avocado Lake, 50% Contained

Gary White, 42, a wanted fugitive, was arrested in Chowchilla after deputies found him hiding in an attic and he surrendered without incident on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Madera County SO)
20 minutes ago

Wanted Fugitive Found Hiding in Attic Arrested in Chowchilla

Containers on a cargo ship are pictured at an industrial port in Tokyo, Japan, July 2, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Trump Says US Will Impose 25% Tariffs on Japan, South Korea

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 30, 2025. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
1 hour ago

Wall Street Knocked Lower by Tariff Jitters, Musk’s Political Plan Hurts Tesla

Protesters march near the campus of Columbia University in upper Manhattan to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and former Columbia student, on March 14, 2025. A federal judge in Boston on Monday, July 7, 2025, will hear opening statements in a trial expected to present the foremost challenge to the Trump administration’s aggressive posture toward foreign students who espoused pro-Palestinian views. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times)
1 hour ago

Trial Over Free Speech on Campus, and Trump’s Student Crackdown, Begins

Activists for Planned Parenthood demonstrate as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in South Carolina's bid to cut off public funding to Planned Parenthood, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Planned Parenthood Sues Trump Administration Over Planned Defunding

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned over 80,000 acres, prompted widespread evacuations, and left one firefighter injured as crews work to contain the blaze. (CalFire)
1 hour ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Injures 1 Firefighter, Burns Over 80,000 Acres

Photo of caution tape
1 hour ago

Two Border Patrol Officers Injured After Gunman Opens Fire in Texas

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend