LAKEPORT — An attorney”s absence Monday resulted in the delay of pretrial matters for a defendant charged with killing two passengers in a rollover crash last summer.
Jacobo Lopez Mejia, 24, has pleaded not guilty to five counts and has denied several special allegations in connection with the fatal incident along Merritt Road in Kelseyville.
Authorities allege he was under the influence while driving a Ford truck on the night of Aug. 18 and lost control of the vehicle, which then went off of the road and overturned several times.
Two of the five passengers died at the scene.
Lopez Mejia, who remains in custody, appeared at the Lake County Courthouse Monday afternoon for settlement and trial-readiness conferences, but the hearings were delayed for one week.
Judge Arthur H. Mann said there was good cause to postpone the proceedings because defense counsel Doug Rhoades was unavailable as a result of a “family emergency.”
The hearings are set for Monday at 2:30 p.m. The June trial date remains in place.
Prosecutor John Langan said settlement negotiations are ongoing and both sides have exchanged offers. The case has a “50-50” chance of resolving before trial, he added.
