Repeat DUI Offender Who Caused Fatal 2017 Crash on Lakeville Highway Receives Life Sentence

Defendant Logologoa Taumaloto Tevaseu, 37 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Dana Simonds to a sentence of 3 years plus 15 years to life in prison for crimes he committed November 5, 2017. On December 21, 2018, following a three week jury trial, Tevaseu was found guilty of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and driving while under the influence causing injury. The jury also found true allegations that Tevaseu injured five people in the crash in addition to Paulette Geronimo Quiba, the young woman he killed.

The charges resulted from a fatal crash that occurred at approximately 9:00 p.m. a mile north of Lakeville Highway’s intersection with Highway 37, Tevaseu repeatedly crossed over the double yellow lines to pass other vehicles.  While doing so, he drove his full-sized pickup truck head-on into a sedan being driven by Sonoma State student Paulette Quiba. The initial collision caused three other vehicles to crash as well, resulting in additional people suffering injuries.

Tevaseu was unwilling to provide a blood or breath sample as required by law.  As a result, a warrant was obtained and his sample was collected. Forensic testing determined his blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash was .22 percent, almost three times the legal limit. This was not Tevaseu’s first DUI crash. In 2011 he was convicted of DUI when it was determined he had a high blood alcohol concentration following a crash in downtown Santa Rosa just after midnight.

Tevaseu’s sentence could have been doubled as he suffered a prior juvenile adjudication for robbery which brought him within California’s Three Strikes sentencing scheme. However, in a separate hearing prior to today’s sentencing date, Judge Simonds exercised her discretion and dismissed Tevaseu’s prior robbery adjudication for sentencing purposes.

At today’s hearing, Paulette Quiba’s father Pablo, sister Phoebe, and two close family friends addressed the Court. Mr. Quiba concluded his remarks noting that “Paulette was an embodiment of what is right in this world,” a sentiment surely shared by her friends and family attending today’s sentencing hearing. 

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Andrew Lukas and Scott Uemura of the District Attorney’s Vertical DUI Unit. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The attorneys were assisted by District Attorney Investigator Denise Urton. Anthony Keeton of the California Highway Patrol headed the investigation.