Man Sentenced to Three Years and Four Months in Prison For Vehicular Manslaughter While Under The Influence of Marijuana

Defendant Isidro Moya, 20 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Peter Ottenweller  to serve three years and four months in state prison after having pled no contest in April of this year to felony charges of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated, Driving Under the Influence of a Drug Causing Injury, and a misdemeanor charge of Driving Without a Valid Driver’s License.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “This was yet another tragic instance of someone being killed on our roads by an impaired driver.  Driving under the influence of marijuana is a crime.  Just as with alcohol, or controlled substances, if you are under the influence and not safe to drive, you will be arrested and convicted.  People need to understand that making the choice to drive impaired can lead to a prison sentence.”

The charges resulted from a May 4, 2018 collision where Moya was driving an Infinity sedan eastbound on Valley Ford Road outside of the City of Petaluma when he crashed head-on into a Lexus SUV in the opposite lane of traffic. The collision killed Moya’s friend and right front passenger, 18-year-old David Etling, of Petaluma. Two passengers in the Lexus SUV were seriously injured along with another passenger in Moya’s vehicle. A subsequent DUI investigation revealed Moya was driving under the influence of marijuana which caused him to fall asleep and lose control of the vehicle. The investigation also revealed that shortly before the collision, Moya passed a vehicle on the two-lane roadway at a reckless speed. A blood test confirmed the presence of marijuana in Moya’s system at the time of the collision.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Scott Uemura of the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. Funding for this specialized prosecution was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.