Turlock man sentenced for DUI crash, failing to appear in court

A 53-year-old Turlock man has been sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for crashing into a van while high on methamphetamine. His punishment included additional time for failing to appear in court to begin serving a prison sentence for the 2013 crash that injured two people.

Curtis Herbert Tipton on Dec. 22 pleaded no contest to a felony charge of failing to appear in court while out on bail, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office announced this week.

The crash occurred May 24, 2013. Prosecutors said Tipton was driving a vehicle that rear-ended a van stopped ahead of him at an intersection. Two people in the van were injured. Turlock police said Tipton appeared to be under the influence of a drug. A sample of his blood tested positive for meth.

On Sept. 28, Tipton pleaded no contest to a felony charge of driving under the influence of drugs causing injury. As part of plea deal, Tipton agreed to return to court Oct. 18 to begin a three-year prison sentence for the crash.

He returned to court Oct. 18 and asked for an extension to his surrender date. Tipton was permitted to return to court Oct. 20, but he failed to show up. On Nov. 22, Turlock police arrested Tipton again.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Linda McFadden sentenced Tipton to an additional two years and eight months for failing to appear in court.

On Thursday, Tipton was serving his sentence at North Kern State Prison in Delano.

Deputy District Attorney Bianca Yip prosecuted the case. Her job is funded by a grant from state Office of Traffic Safety.

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Turlock man sentenced for DUI crash, failing to appear in court."