Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/329418
ByLindaDeutsch The Associated Press LOSANGELES Asubstance- abuse counselor was sen- tenced Thursday to 55 years to life in prison for hitting a pedestrian with her car and driving through a Los An- geles suburb with the dying man on her windshield. Ajuryearlierthisyearcon- victed Sherri Lynn Wilkins, 53, of second-degree murder, driving under the influence and hit-and-run. Prosecutors said Wilkins' blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit when she struck 31-year-old Phillip Moreno in Novem- ber 2012 as she was leaving a counseling center. She drove 2 miles through the city of Torrance before other motorists swarmed her car at a traffic light and kept her there until police ar- rived. Moreno was taken to a hospital, where he died. Superior Court Judge HenryHallsaid,"Ms.Wilkins demonstrated an extraordi- nary callousness in fleeing the sceneand tryingto shake Mr.Moreno'sbodyoffhercar. This is a callous murder, not an unfortunate act." Hall rejected a request from the defense and sen- tenced Wilkins under Cal- ifornia's three strikes law, citing her long history of drug-related crimes. That tripled the minimum 15 years to life she otherwise could have received before being eligible for parole. Wilkins, who was a drug addict before she became a drug and alcohol counselor, contended she wasn't drunk that night. She claimed she was "self-medicating" while waiting for knee-replace- ment surgery and had con- sumed three single-serv- ing bottles of vodka and a can of Budweiser beer and Clamato before starting to drive. COURT Wo ma n wh o drove with man on car gets prison By Judy Lin The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic law- makers are trying to work out the final details of a bud- get for the coming fiscal year that largely adheres to the governor's call for fiscal prudence while providing a modest boost to social and education programs. Brown wants to dedicate much of the state's budget surplus to a beefed-up rainy day fund and paying down state debts. But his fellow DemocratsintheLegislature are pushing him to restore cuts to welfare, health care, child care and education. Legislative floor votes on the main budget bill for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which starts July 1, are expected Sunday, the constitutional deadline for lawmakers to pass a balanced spending plan and avoid forfeiting their pay. "We try to balance many objectives: fiscal balance, a healthy reserve, pay down debt and make some key investments in education, health and human services and other priorities," Sen- ate President Pro Tem Dar- rell Steinberg, D-Sacra- mento, said in an interview Wednesday. "To find that sweet spot is always hard." Brown has succeeded so far at fending off major spending proposals from members of his own party. The Legislature's joint bud- get committee announced a plan late Wednesday to in- clude $264 million for ex- panding early education programs for 4-year-olds, an amountfarbelowwhatDem- ocrats originally sought. That would pay for an additional 11,500 preschool slots for low-income families by June 2015, with an addi- tional 31,500 slots planned in the future. Additional funding would be provided in the form of grants to ex- isting preschool programs, increased child-care reim- bursement rates and pro- fessional training. Combined with exist- ing programs, the proposal would provide early educa- tion assistance to roughly 234,000 children, covering half of all 4-year-olds in the state. Even so, it falls well short of Steinberg's origi- nal goal of spending $1 bil- lion to provide preschool to all California children. Democratic lawmak- ers had also sought more money for higher educa- tion than Brown had pro- posed. Under a compromise, the University of California and California State Uni- versity systems will receive an additional $50 million each if property taxes come in higher than projections. It remained unclear Thursday just how much more money would be allo- cated for other Democratic priorities,includingin-home care for seniors and the dis- abled, welfare and Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for the poor. Democratsdidsecureflex- ibility in prison funding to spend tens of millions of dol- lars more on mental health services as a way to improve treatmentandincreasereha- bilitation options. BUDGET Governor, lawmakers face weekend deadline RICHPEDRONCELLI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Denise Fernandez, 20, a student at California State University, Sacramento, carries a faux check for $100million made out to the CSU system as she joined in a march calling for increased spending for higher ed outside the Governor's office in Sacramento on Tuesday. By Scott Smith The Associated Press FRESNO A burglary defen- dant who won his freedom because of a jury's mistake lost his life a few hours later when he was stabbed to death in a fight. The jury in the trial of Bobby Lee Pearson, 37, mis- takenly signed a not-guilty form Wednesday, and the flabbergasted judge said he had no choice but to or- der him to be released from jail because the verdict had already been put on the re- cord. It was too late when the judge learned that the jury was unable to reach a ver- dict, stalling on an 8-4 vote in favor of guilt. Prosecu- tors might have had an op- portunity to retry Pearson, but by then changing the verdict form would have exposed Pearson to double jeopardy. "I can't believe it," said Superior Court Judge W. Kent Hamlin after setting Pearson free, according to The Fresno Bee. After being released from jail, Pearson went home to get some cloth- ing and belongings when Fresno police Sgt. James Rios said Pearson appar- ently got into a fight with his sister's boyfriend. The two had a long his- tory of problems, said Rios, adding that the boyfriend stabbed and killed Pear- son, who was found dead at the scene. The boy- friend's name has not been released. William Terrence, who prosecuted the case, told The Associated Press that despite the bizarre chain of events that led to Pearson's release, the man he tried sending to prison didn't de- serve to die that way. "There's not a death pen- alty on a burglary," Ter- rence said. "I'm not sitting here thinking he got what he deserved." Terrence said he is still trying to understand the jury's confusion. He said he explained the verdict forms in closing arguments as he has done many times, and so did the judge. "Apparently, the message wasn't quite received," Ter- rence said. In the case of a deadlock, jurors should have sent a note to the judge. Pearson and two co- defendants were accused of burglarizing an apart- ment last year and steal- ing a video system and a gun. The homeowner al- legedly caught the intrud- ers and wrestled with one of them. Jurors returned a guilty verdict against Pearson's co-defendant, Terrel Min- nieweather and the mis- taken not-guilty verdict against Pearson before lunch Wednesday. Terrence said Hamlin polled each juror indi- vidually to verify Minnie- weather's guilty verdict. Turning to Pearson's case, the judge asked the jurors as a group if that was its not-guilty verdict in Pear- son's case. "No one stood up and said, 'Hey, wait a minute. That's not my verdict,'" Terrence said. "They nod- ded along." Terrence said that it wasn't a mistake to poll the jury as a group. The evidence against Pearson wasn't as strong, and Ter- rence said he respected the jury's apparent not-guilty decision. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA Ma n fr ee d in j ur y mi st ak e ki ll ed h ou rs l at er i n st ab bi ng $ 24,495 2013 GMC TERRAIN SLE PRIORRENTAL, 4 CYL, FWD. ALL PRICES PLUS SALES TAX, LICENSE FEES, DOC FEES, ANY FINANCE CHARGE, ANY DEALER PREPARATION CHARGE, ANY EMISSION CHARGE, ANY DOCUMENTATION PREPARATION CHARGE, ANY SMOG FEES AND ANY TIRE FEES. ALL VEHICLES SUBJECT TO PRIOR SALE & CREDIT APPROVAL. SALE EXPIRES JUNE 19, 2014 BUICK GROWNEY MOTORS GROWNEY MOTORS ServingtheNorth State Since 1922 (530) 527-1034 1160 MAIN ST., RED BLUFF Paramas informacion en Español, Llame Alex Welcome to 0% Financing For 60 Months on Select New Vehicles.OAC $ 28,995 #100561 2008 HONDA CIVIC EX MOON ROOF, NAVIGATION. #513951 $ 13,995 $ 25,995 $ 16,995 $ 17,495 www.geogrowney.com We Aim To Please 2004 GMC SIERRA DENALI ALL LEATHER, ALL COMFORT. #139442 $ 13,995 #136023 2012 HONDA CRV EXL AWD, LEATHER,LOADED, LOCAL TRADE. #001527 2014 BUICK LaCROSSE PRIOR RENTAL, LEATHER, HEATED SEATS. 2005 GMC SIERRA 2500 4X4, 6.0 GAS, READY TO TOW. #206649 2011 CHEVY MALIBU LT V6 LOADED, MOON ROOF, 52K MILES. #105567 $ 24,995 #558021 2007 CHEVY SILVERADO LTZ 4X4, LEATHER, LOADED. 4X4 2013 CHEVY CRUZE LT PRIOR RENTAL, GREAT MPG. #165209 $ 16,995 FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 7 A