LAKEPORT — A judge Monday delayed pretrial proceedings for Alejandro Aurelio Arias, a Kelseyville man charged with causing a fatal crash nearly three years, but the trial date in late October remained in place.
Arias, 31, of Kelseyville pleaded not guilty to four felonies, including second-degree murder, stemming from the collision near the intersection of highways 29 and 175 in Lakeport on Sept. 11, 2009.
Authorities allege he sped through a red light traveling about 100 mph and crashed into another car, killing its driver and injuring its two passengers. Charlane Hill, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Arias, who remains in custody at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility, appeared at the Lake County Courthouse Monday afternoon for pretrial matters.
Both sides told the court there appeared to be no chance of settling the case, and they expressed a desire to start the trial as scheduled on Oct. 24.
The prosecution”s offer was for Arias to plead to second-degree murder in exchange for having the rest of the charges dismissed, according to senior deputy district attorney John Langan.
Doug Rhoades, Arias” public defender, suggested delaying Monday”s trial-readiness conference to a day closer to the current trial date.
Judge David W. Herrick rescheduled both matters — settlement and trial-readiness conferences — for Sept. 24 at the courthouse.
Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636, ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com. Follow him on Twitter, @JeremyDWalsh.
