Inland Valley

A man has pleaded guilty to murder in a DUI crash in Canyon Lake that killed two Lake Elsinore residents, court records show.

Jose Luis Sepulveda, 34, is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9 after he entered his pleas on July 25 at Southwest Justice Center in French Valley. He admitted to two counts of second-degree murder and four counts related to driving under the influence. Some other Vehicle Code violations, as well as a charge of failing to appear in court, were dropped.

The crash happened just before 10 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2020, on Railroad Canyon Road, west of Goetz Road.

A car traveling east on Railroad Canyon Road rear-ended a second car traveling in the same direction, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. One of those cars then crossed over the center divider, crashing into a third car traveling west.

Tina Slatten, 58, and Benita Heyden, 57, were in the third car. They were killed.

Sepulveda’s plea was to the judge and did not involve the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, said John Hall, a DA spokesman.

No sentencing length was specified in the plea agreement. Sepulveda remains in custody.

Q. I was surprised to hear from a friend that he has seen Tesla drivers on the freeway sound asleep while driving. He has seen them around midnight on the freeway slumped over. What is the protocol regarding this practice other than people posting it on the internet?

– Sharon Spitz, Irvine

A. When safe, dial 911. Just like when you see a suspected drunk.

“Definitely, call it in,” said Mitch Smith, a California Highway Patrol officer and spokesman.

For such emergencies, under the law, a driver can call even on a handheld phone.

“No vehicle available to the general public for personal use has technology currently recognized as being capable of driving itself,” a spokesperson for the Department of Motor Vehicles said in an email. “If someone is asleep at the wheel or distracted or under the influence, that is a law enforcement and public safety issue.”

In other words, the driver faces getting busted.

Motorists, Smith said, must be “available to react to anything that happens.”

So they must be awake and sober, no matter if the car thinks it can drive itself.

More than 45 companies have been granted permission by the DMV to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver aboard who, if needed, can immediately take control of the vehicle – they include Apple, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Tesla.

Now, there are more than a half-dozen companies that have been issued permission by the DMV to test without drivers, with various restrictions such as where they can go and during which hours of the day. But Tesla is not among them – yet.

“The DMV is reviewing the capabilities of (Tesla’s) ‘Full Self-Driving’ feature to determine if it has advanced to meet California’s definition of an autonomous vehicle,” the DMV’s spokesperson said. “If so, Tesla will need to operate under the appropriate regulatory authorization.”

Honk likes to close loopholes, Sharon: So, no, a snoozing Tesla driver is not in a vehicle that has been approved to function without a fully aware driver.

Q. I was driving north on the I-5 Freeway from San Clemente and noticed four HOV violation signs along the way with different penalty amounts. Why is there a difference, and what determines the fine amount?

– Scott Irwin, Fullerton

A. A first-time offender should expect to pay $490 for the fine, fees and penalties of wrongly driving in the carpool lane solo in Orange County.

“The signs note the minimum fine that may be assessed, indicating that the fines might be higher than shown,” said Nathan Abler, a Caltrans spokesman in the county.

So older signs might not provide the actual cost, but would still be telling offenders their bill would be at least that amount.

“Caltrans’ policy is to update signs when the center-median barriers, where the signs are placed, are upgraded,” Abler said.

In other counties, the total financial hit could be different than $490.

“Fees may be different from county to county, depending on the local regulations, which is not controlled by (Superior Court),” said Kostas Kalaitzidis, the spokesman for Orange County Superior Court.

Honk has seen or heard of other stretches where the signs saying what a violation would cost differ inside a particular county.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

A driver was street racing with a blood-alcohol content more than three times the legal limit when he caused the crash that killed an Orange County Register editor two years ago, a prosecutor told jurors on Thursday, July 28.

Deputy District Attorney Brian Orue, in opening statements, said Louie Robert Villa was speeding northbound on Bristol Street in Santa Ana while trying to catch up with another car when he slammed into a pickup truck driven by Gene Harbrecht, 67, who was making a left turn from southbound Bristol to eastbound Santa Clara Avenue about 11:40 a.m., on July 30, 2020.

Both Harbrecht and Villa were taken to UCI Medical Center, but Harbrecht died.

Harbrecht was a longtime editor of the Orange County Register, which is part of the Southern California News Group.

“He didn’t have to die,” Orue said. “If the defendant doesn’t drive at 11:40 a.m. at three times the legal limit, Gene is still here.”

A blood draw at UCI Medical Center about 45 minutes after the crash showed Villa’s blood-alcohol content at .26, Orue told the jury, later noting that Villa had a previous conviction for driving under the influence and had been warned about the dangers of drinking and driving.

The other driver, Ricardo Navarro Tolento, was arrested hours later with help from a witness who provided information about his car to police.

Villa, 31, was charged with second-degree murder, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, DUI with a blood alcohol level of .08% or more causing injury, and engaging in a speed contest. The DUI charges include enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury.

Tolento will face trial on vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run charges at a later date, Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, said this week.

Villa and Tolento were stopped at a red light on Bristol at 17th Street, taking off when the light phased to green. A surveillance camera caught Tolento’s black Infiniti leading, with Villa trying to catch up in a borrowed silver BMW, Orue said.

The prosecutor said jurors would hear evidence that Tolento drove about 77 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone and that Villa was traveling between 81 and 91 mph at the time the BMW crashed into the front passenger side of Harbrecht’s truck.

The force of the crash sent the Ford Ranger “flying,” Orue said.

“Mr. Villa made some ridiculously bad choices that put himself, other members of the community, and Eugene Harbrecht’s life in peril,” he said.

A motorist who was behind Villa at the light captured the race and the crash on his vehicle’s dashcam.

Villa’s public defender, Stacy Kelly, said Villa drove in fear for his safety after Tolento swerved into the middle lane in front of him. She told jurors Villa’s view of the roadway ahead was blocked by Tolento’s black Infiniti until the last few seconds before the crash.

“That’s when he saw the Ford Ranger,” she said. “He slammed on the brakes and did everything he could to avoid the collision.”

She said Villa was headed to visit a former boss to ask about the possibility of being re-hired after he had been laid off. She said he had been drinking, but did not think his driving would be affected by alcohol and that he “expected to get to his destination safely,”

She said the tragedy was devastating, but told jurors it did not amount to murder.

Villa told investigators at the hospital that he had only had one drink at about 2:30 a.m., Orue said.

In arguing for second-degree murder, Orue told jurors Villa had a prior DUI conviction in 2012 and was warned that if he drove drunk again and killed someone, he could be charged with murder. Orue said Villa had also attended a Mother’s Against Drunk Driving meeting where he was warned a second time about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Three witnesses and two Santa Ana officers who responded to the crash testified Thursday afternoon.

One of the witnesses, Adam Bendig, said he was cut off by Villa as he approached Bristol and Seventeenth. He also caught the race and the crash on his dashcam and provided it to police.

Luis Gonzalez testified he was visiting his friend, Guillermo Velasquez, on the driveway of a home on Santa Clara near Bristol Street when they heard screeching and a loud bang. After seeing the aftermath of the collision, Gonzalez testified that he kicked and punched through the windshield of the pickup truck and dragged Harbrecht out and away from the crash.

Velasquez testified he retrieved two water hoses to try to douse flames after the truck had caught fire.

Villa left his car and sat down on the front lawn of a nearby home, they said.

Tolento continued northbound following the crash, but was found a short distance away and arrested hours later.

The trial resumes at 10 a.m. Friday and is expected to wrap up by the middle of next week, the attorneys said. It wasn’t known if Villa would testify.

SAN JACINTO — County authorities Wednesday identified a man who died in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 79 in San Jacinto.

The crash occurred at 9 a.m. Tuesday on the southbound side of the highway near Gilman Springs Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

According to the CHP, one vehicle overturned, and a tractor-trailer was among the vehicles involved in the crash.

One person died at the scene, while two others were taken to hospitals — one with moderate injuries and another with minor injuries, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

The person who died was identified by the Riverside County coroner’s office as Aaron Begnaud, 33, of Orange.

Both sides of the highway were shut down after the crash, but all lanes reopened later Tuesday morning, according to Caltrans.

 

One person was killed and four injured Wednesday in a fiery multi-vehicle crash in Riverside.

The crash was reported at approximately 12:48 a.m. and officers from the California Highway Patrol responded to the eastbound 91 Freeway between Van Buren Boulevard and Adams Street where they found two vehicles overturned and another on fire, according to the Riverside CHP.

Fire from the crash spread to the brush behind an apartment building in the 8700 block of Indiana Avenue, said Riverside County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Pat Hopkins.

Fire crews were able to control and extinguish the flames.

The crash left debris from the vehicles strewn across multiple lanes of the freeway.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said.

Four people were taken to a hospital, two in critical condition and two with minor injuries, Hopkins said. The CHP issued a SigAlert for the closure of all lanes of the freeway. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

A driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI after a motorist walking on the 10 Freeway was fatally struck Sunday night, July 24, the California Highway Patrol said.

At 11:49 p.m., a Buick was headed west on the 10 Freeway, east of Sierra Avenue in Fontana, at an unknown speed when it struck a person who was walking within the lanes of traffic after being in a prior solo crash at Sierra Avenue, the CHP said in a news release. This crash sparked a third crash when a third vehicle crashed into the first two wrecked cars, authorities said.

The person struck was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel, officials said. The victim was identified as Adrian Llamas-Navarro, a 25-year-old resident of Pomona, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

The driver of the Buick was arrested on suspicion of DUI, authorities said. The driver’s identity was not immediately available.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the first crash or whether anyone was injured in the third crash.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact Officer A. Ray at 909-383-4247.

A mother accused of driving drunk with three children in her vehicle, causing a Temecula crash that killed her 8-year-old daughter, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and other counts, California Highway Patrol officials said on Monday, July 25.

The collision happened at 6:20 p.m. Sunday at State Route 79 and Anza Road.

Investigators said Jessica Nieto, 33, of Temecula was behind the wheel of a 2011 Honda Pilot heading west on the two-lane 79 when it drifted to the right and into the dirt shoulder. Nieto attempted to pull the SUV back onto the roadway but over-corrected, sending the vehicle into the opposing lane, according to the CHP.

The Pilot then collided with an eastbound 2011 Chevrolet Silverado going between 55 and 60 mph.

Investigators said the 8-year-old girl was not wearing a seatbelt.

A 12-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl in the Honda suffered major injuries and were taken to Riverside County Regional Medical Center. Nieto was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center with major injuries.

Three Thermal residents in the Silverado were also injured and taken to Inland Valley Medical Center. The driver and a passenber, both in their 40s, suffered major injuries while a 12-year-old girl suffered minor injuries, the CHP reported.

Nieto was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI, child endangerment and gross vehicular manslaughter, the CHP said.

UPDATE (Monday, July 25): Mom arrested after 8-year-old daughter dies in Temecula car crash

A child died and seven other people were injured in a crash in Temecula on Sunday.

The collision happened at 6:25 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 79 and Anza Road, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

#AnzaIC [UPDATE] 7:45 pm – Updated patient information: 1 pediatric patient perished at the scene prior to arrival. 3 pediatric patients with serious injuries, 1 adult with serious injuries, 3 adults with moderate injuries. All patients have been transported to local hospitals.

— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) July 25, 2022

Anza Road was temporarily closed in both directions near the intersection with Highway 79, the department reported, adding the California Highway Patrol was investigating.

Photos from the scene showed at least two vehicles — a pickup truck and another vehicle — had collided.

Here are the restaurants and other food facilities that Riverside County Department of Environmental Health inspectors temporarily shut down because of imminent health hazards between July 15 and 21, 2022. If no reopening date is mentioned, the department had not listed that facility as reopened as of this publication.

Denny’s Restaurant, 28915 Rancho California Road, Temecula

• Closed: July 21
• Grade: Not graded
• Reason: No potable water. A vehicle crash at the location affected the water supply, according to a health department spokesperson.

Everbowl, 32483 Temecula Parkway Suite E111, Temecula

• Closed: July 15
• Grade: 81/B, failing
• Reason: Broken air conditioner. The inspector said the temperature inside at 2:15 p.m. was 94 degrees — the same as that day’s high outside. The one employee who was working was sweating onto the food-prep board. There were two other critical violations: Some food was at unsafe temperatures in a cooler, and two other coolers were broken and not in use. Also, surfaces weren’t being sanitized properly. The inspector noted this was the second recent visit in response to a complaint about the heat. During a June 29 inspection, it was 89-94 degrees inside. The manager was instructed at that time to bring in a portable air conditioner until the system could be fixed. By mid-July, two swamp coolers had been installed but they were not sufficient. Because of the unsafe and unsanitary conditions, the restaurant was closed.

Health inspectors also shut down two unpermitted vendors during an operation July 16 in San Jacinto. In addition to not having health permits, neither location had a way to wash hands or dishes or to keep food at safe temperatures, food had come from unapproved sources, and food was being stored in dirty conditions and unprotected from insects, according to a health department spokesperson. The vendors were:

• Taco operation at State Street and Soboba Road
• Taco operation at Gilman Hot Springs Road and North Sanderson Avenue

Non-closure inspections of note

Here are selected inspections at facilities that weren’t closed but had significant issues.

Mega Bites, at 1153 S. State St. in Hemet, was inspected July 20 and received a failing grade of 85/B with one critical violation. Some meat was at unsafe temperatures in a refrigerator that was impounded for not keeping cold. Among the eight other violations, the inspector found five dead cockroaches in a storage area, an employee was washing lettuce in a sink next to dirty dishes and equipment needed cleaning.

China Garden, at 933 E. Hobsonway in Blythe, was inspected July 19 in response to a complaint about dirty conditions. It received a failing grade of 75/C with two critical violations. Cooked meat wasn’t being kept hot enough, and the dishwasher wasn’t able to dispense sanitizer. Among the 15 other violations, an employee didn’t wash hands, chicken wasn’t being defrosted safely, food was being stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler, the ice machine and rice machine were soiled inside, and other equipment, shelving, floors and other surfaces needed cleaning. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection in less than two years, so it now faces an administrative hearing.

Casa Jimenez, at 40535 California Oaks Road in Murrieta, was inspected July 15 in response to a complaint about the water in the women’s restroom. It received a failing grade of 80/B with three critical violations. Containers of salsa and soup were at unsafe temperatures in two beverage coolers that were not designed for holding perishable food; one was impounded for not keeping cold. Also, cooked food was not being cooled down to a safe temperature fast enough. And a dishwasher was impounded for not dispensing sanitizer. Among the six other violations, the inspector confirmed the complaint that the restroom’s hot water was turned off and the water flow was insufficient for washing hands. The restaurant passed a follow-up inspection July 18 with a score of 100/A.

Updates from past weeks

Johnny’s Burgers, at 3394 Madison St. in Riverside, which failed a July 13 inspection with an 86/B and was closed for not having enough functional refrigerator space, was permitted to reopen July 14 after one of two impounded coolers was repaired. It also passed a new inspection with a 99/A.

About this list

This list is published online on Fridays. Any updates as restaurants are reopened will be included in next week’s list.

All food facilities in the county are routinely inspected to ensure they meet health codes. A facility loses four points for each critical violation — and may have to close if the violation can’t be corrected immediately — and one or two points for minor violations. An A grade (90 to 100 points) is passing. Grades of B (80 to 89 points) and C (79 or below) are failing and typically require the proprietor to make improvements and be re-inspected.

For more information on inspections of these or any restaurants in Riverside County, visit restaurantgrading.rivcoeh.org. To submit a health complaint about a restaurant, go to www.rivcoeh.org/Complaint or call 888-722-4234 during business hours or 951-782-2968 after-hours.