Judge decides on bail amount for Turlock driver in crash that killed eighth-grader
A Stanislaus County judge on Wednesday rejected a prosecutor’s request to increase the bail amount for a 21-year-old man accused of driving drunk in a Turlock crash that killed a Dutcher Middle School eighth-grader last month.
At his arraignment hearing Wednesday morning, Kevin Hernandez Solis of Turlock pleaded not guilty to his charges and denied enhancements listed in a criminal complaint filed against him earlier this month.
Solis has been charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with gross negligence, and two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.
Freida Pineda, 14, died in the Dec. 14 crash in the 100 block of East Monte Vista Avenue in Turlock. Freida was in a white Toyota sedan with sisters Rebecca and Kendra Murillo, who were seriously injured in the crash.
The deadly crash was reported about 7 p.m. Hernandez was driving a black Toyota pickup, which struck a nearby carport and a parked vehicle after hitting the white sedan, according to Turlock police. Hernandez was found just outside the pickup with minor injuries.
Deputy District Attorney Emily Jeng on Wednesday asked the judge to increase Solis’ bail from $100,000 to $275,000. The prosecutor said the increased bail amount is an accordance with the DUI charges Solis is facing. The criminal complaint alleges Solis’ blood alcohol level was at least 0.15 percent, which is nearly twice the legal limit.
On Dec. 18, Hernandez was released after posting a $100,000 bail bond, according to court records.
Aaron Villalobos, Solis’ attorney, told the judge that the circumstances involved in the case have not changed since his client’s first court appearance two weeks ago. Villalobos argued that the $100,000 bail amount is appropriate.
The defense attorney said his client was ordered by the court to attend four Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and Solis has already attended nine meetings. Villalobos also said that Solis has lived the majority of his life in Turlock with his parents, he has a job at an electrical business and he has appeared in court as ordered since his arrest.
Superior Court Judge Robert Westbrook told the attorneys that he understands that these are serious criminal charges Solis is facing, and he agreed that the circumstances in this case have not changed to require a bail increase. Westbrook ordered Solis to appear for each of his court hearings.
Villalobos asked the court to schedule the next hearing in about a month, because he wanted to make sure he receives all the evidence the prosecution is required to hand over to the defense. He said he’s waiting to receive security camera video footage from a gas station collected as evidence in the investigation.
Judge Westbrook scheduled Solis to return to court on Feb. 28 for a pretrial hearing. The defendant remains free on bail.
This story was originally published January 30, 2019 at 12:58 PM.