The new downtown San Diego Superior Court and satellite courts will have new download charges starting Jan. 1, 2021. Photo by Chris Stone
A man who allegedly drove under the influence and fatally struck a pedestrian in Kearny Mesa pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Frank William Shoaf, 39, faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI in the crash.
He allegedly ran a red light at high speeds on Othello Avenue around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Deputy District Attorney Abrey Zora said in court that Shoaf’s Tesla veered to the right side of the road, struck a dip and flew onto the sidewalk, striking a woman, a traffic sign and a tree.
The victim, identified in the criminal complaint as Cassandra May, died at a hospital a few hours later.
The prosecutor said that just after the crash, Shoaf appeared to not realize he had crashed the car or struck someone and that he failed a series of field sobriety tests.
Zora alleged Shoaf admitted to buying a can of “Dust Off” canned air shortly before the crash and has a history of huffing chemicals.
The prosecutor described Shoaf as an Uber driver, though it was unclear whether he was working at the time of the crash.
Shoaf remains in jail without bail.
– City News Service