File photo.
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PREVIOUSLY
- Last Night on Broadway in Eureka, a Suspected Drunk Driver Struck a Road Worker in an Active Construction Zone, Causing Major Injuries, CHP Says
- COURT ROUNDUP: Suspected Drunk Driver, Accused of Seriously Injuring Road Worker Wednesday, Was on DUI Probation
- Ronnie Franklin, the Road Construction Worker Struck by a Suspected Drunk Driver Last Week, Has Succumbed to His Injuries
- Selah Town Re-Arrested and on Murder Charge for Alleged Drunk-Driving Incident That Killed Road Worker Ronnie Franklin
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[UPDATE: 2:10 p.m.] Town was formally charged and pleaded not guilty at an arraignment this afternoon. The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent her. Every seat in the courtroom was filled, with others waiting outside in the hall. A hearing to determine if she can be released while awaiting trial was scheduled for September 29.
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Selah Town, the woman accused of fatally striking a road worker in Eureka while drunk driving last week, will be charged with murder today. Charging documents allege she was driving with more than double the legal limit of blood alcohol content.
Among three felony charges, 26-year-old Town faces multiple sentencing enhancements for driving with a BAC of over 0.15%, according to court documents. Her BAC was recorded at 0.19%-0.20%, though the precise BAC is pending, according to information on the complaint.
The legal driving limit is 0.08%.
District Attorney Stacey Eads said “a blood sample collected following her arrest will be analyzed by a DOJ criminalist for a more scientifically reliable blood alcohol concentration,” in an email to the Outpost.
Town faces serious charges after allegedly striking Ronnie Franklin, a 20-year-old road worker who was moving cones in a closed lane on Broadway last Wednesday.
She faces two felony charges for causing injury while drunk driving, after being convicted of a DUI less than ten years ago.
According to court records, she pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in January.
Multiple sentencing enhancements to the charges additionally accuse Town of causing Franklin to become comatose due to brain injury and to suffer paralysis. These enhancements would add years to a prison term if she is convicted.
Town was driving with an open container of alcohol, according to the complaint.
She will be formally arraigned on these charges at 4 p.m.
[CORRECTION: She was arraigned at 1:30 p.m.].
Over 100 people gathered at UC Davis Medical Center to honor Franklin, according to reporting from KCRA. A vigil was also held last night at the Arcata Plaza, according to social media posts.
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