LAKEPORT — A Kelseyville man appeared in court Friday to hear the charges against him for his role in the hit-and-run collision that caused the death of a local restaurant owner last week.
James Nightingale faces one felony count of vehicular manslaughter, one felony count of hit-and-run, and one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license for the incident that resulted in the death of Zino Mezoui.
Authorities allege that on the morning of Sept. 24, Nightingale fled the scene of the accident after the blue Suburban he was driving drove through a stop sign and collided with Mezoui”s motorcycle. Mezoui died due to injuries sustained in the crash.
Nightingale surrendered to California Highway Patrol officers Wednesday evening.
The District Attorney”s office brought charges in four additional cases against Nightingale during Friday”s arraignment hearing.
Nightingale, who was convicted of driving under the influence in 2009, is charged with violating the terms of his probation by driving without a valid driver”s license. He also faces charges of driving without a valid license for two separate incidents earlier this year.
Nightingale also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Tehama County for failure to appear in court.
Judge Richard Martin set bail at $50,000 for the Sept. 24 hit-and-run incident and an additional $5,000 per case for the four misdemeanor cases introduced Friday.
Nightingale did not enter a plea on any of the cases against him. Judge Martin assigned Attorney Jacob Zamora to defend Nightingale.
Nightingale will next appear in court Oct. 8 at 8:15 a.m. in Department 4.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
