It looks like a dangerous driver may be off the streets for awhile.
And for once, she didn’t have to kill someone to get the court’s attention. Just nearly kill three people in an allegedly intoxicated state.
I’m told that Juli Ann Brown, the driver who ran down three members of the Long Beach Lightening Velo bike club in a drunken hit-and-run on PCH last year, was sentenced on Friday to a total of one year in county jail, 15 years in state prison, plus fines, restitution and an 18-month alcohol offender program.
Yes, you read that right.
A total of 16 years, though what that will mean in real life remains to be seen, as she was convicted of multiple counts, and some or all of those terms may end up being served concurrently.
Brown was convicted of plowing into a group of cyclists riding in the bike lane on PCH in Seal Beach in February 2012, then fleeing the scene. Three of the riders were hospitalized with moderate to severe injuries.
Brown was arrested shortly afterwards when Huntington Beach police officers observed her damaged car swerving repeatedly, and booked on suspicion of hit-and-run, driving under the influence and possession of narcotics.
All before 10 am on a Saturday.
This is her second conviction for a DUI offense. Brown was convicted on two separate DUI counts in 2003, one for drug use and another for a blood alcohol level greater than .08. Amazingly, she was sentenced to just 10 days in jail — which as then stayed — and just 90 days of driving restriction, as well as a nine month alcohol treatment program.
This time, at least, she should do some serious jail time.
Whether it will be enough to keep her sober and off the streets once she gets out, only time will tell.
She won’t serve anything close to that in state prison, but even a month in state prison is pretty horrible. There’s only so much we can accomplish with punitive measures, because the hardened repeat offenders don’t care and the jails are filled with more “serious” criminals.
What fsethd said. There’s not much you can do with people who just don’t care. They seem to come out of prison worse than when they went in.
There should be way more of these! Not hit and runs but actual consequences for injuring and mamming people. If we only had laws and a way to enforce them.
Unless there is a lifetime ban on driving and some way of enforcing it (and as much as I hate to say it a proposed requirement to install smart ignition locks that require a valid driver’s license inserted into the box to start the car seems like the only way to do it without thousands of shifting roadblocks to check for valid licenses and insurance) then as soon as she thinks she can get away with it she will be back to driving with or without a license. That means she will at some time drive drunk or stoned again pacing all in her path in mortal danger.
She was sentenced to 8 years for driving under the influence of drugs, not alcohol. She must serve a minimum of 85% of her sentence. With credit of time served, she will probably serve 5 years in State prison. She also must attend rehab and pay fines & restitution.
” … pay fines & restitution … ”
Probably a parasitic leech with minimal money or assets .
Alcohol and drugs are the real problem here. How a respectable woman, once in a very envied career becomes drug dependant one must question why. i expect that most would never consider that Juli Brown was very connected to 9-11 and another serious air incident that has left her trumatised by the events and i suspect with post traumatic mental health issues.
I was sickened to hear of this case and must pass my thoughts on to those that were injured in this terrible unnecessary accident. I hope you all make full recoveries.
Yes, the problem is we have money for prisons, but not for drug rehabs and mental health care. We can get her off the streets for awhile, and hopefully some care in prison, but it would have been helpful if she had some place to go before this accident happen.