Attorney: Parents of 13-year-old driver accused in deadly Woodland crash will likely not be criminally charged
WOODLAND -- A 13-year-old suspect is facing vehicular manslaughter charges after Woodland police said he stole a family member's car and caused a deadly crash on Saturday.
Multiple Woodland residents told CBS13 that this is not the first time the 13-year-old has taken his family's car out for a spin.
"They are young, they do not know," said Quita White, a friend of the victim. "They are impressionable, they think it's fun, they think it is a game, they think it is OK. What they don't realize is they can take somebody's life and ruin a family in a matter of seconds."
Police said the 13-year-old suspect was erratically driving northbound on College Stree from Main Street when he came through the intersection at Court and College, crashing into two other cars.
Police had observed him driving recklessly and started pursuing him.
The community is now grieving after the fiery three-car crash killed mother and grandmother Tina Vital.
"We never know if we got a minute, an hour, or another day," said White. "We never know when our time is coming."
White said she was with Tina just hours before she died. She said she was on her way to the movies with her children and grandchild.
The 13-year-old is now facing charges of vehicular manslaughter with negligence and evading with injuries.
"Under 14 you cannot be charged as an adult," said local attorney Mark Riechel. "It does not matter what the crime is."
Riechel said the boy will go before a judge or commissioner in an abbreviated hearing.
"There is a lack of science that shows that incarcerating a 13-year-old will do anything except keep him away from us," Riechel said.
Riechel said the focus will be on rehabilitation. He believes the longest sentencing the boy will face is until he turns 21, and the shortest is two years in youth authority.
"Most youths at age 18 try to seal their record right away," said Riechel. "This is something that is going to be really difficult to seal."
He told CBS13 that the parents will most likely not be facing criminal charges but will be facing civil charges in a civil suit.
"They are entitled to get damages for what happened to them and what will happen to them for the rest of their life," said Riechel. "Money cannot replace what they lost, but it is what we use to try and help them at least."
Since the suspect is a minor, Woodland police could not tell us about his record, but say they are investigating these reports about his past behavior.
"When I pray for Tina and her family, I pray for him and his family as well because it is a loss all the way around," said Lesley Herger who went to church with the victim.
Woodland police are also looking into if this could have been a social media challenge.
"Hopefully that 13-year-old learns a lesson of what he did and how it can be [a] tragedy to a lot of people," White told CBS13.
