Escalon woman is charged in crash that killed Manteca girl, 9

An Escalon woman was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in connection with a crash that killed a 9-year-old Manteca girl in December.

Barbara Hicks, 67, was charged in the death of Mariah Izzo last month. A surrender letter was sent to Hicks instructing her to be in court for an arraignment Oct. 10 but she failed to appear, according to Assistant District Attorney Carol Shipley.

A warrant was issued for Hicks’ arrest, and a DA investigator booked her at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on Wednesday morning. She bailed out several hours later.

Mariah was riding in the back seat of a Toyota RAV4 driven by her aunt, Debra Ellis, 43, of Escalon. Ellis had stopped for a red light in the southbound lanes of McHenry Avenue at Stewart Road near Del Rio.

The light had just turned green when Hicks’ Ford Expedition rear-ended the RAV4 going about 35 mph.

Ellis and a 10-year-old boy in the front seat suffered minor injuries. Mariah suffered massive head trauma and died several days later, on Christmas Eve. Her family donated her organs.

Hicks was not hurt.

The criminal complaint against Hicks said she was driving a vehicle during the commission of an unlawful act and at an unsafe speed. Her charge is a misdemeanor because the DA’s office could not prove gross negligence, Shipley said.

If convicted, Hicks faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

Her arraignment was rescheduled for Dec. 1.

This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Escalon woman is charged in crash that killed Manteca girl, 9."