Fresno County judge reverses decision to reduce DUI charges against Clovis woman
A Clovis woman, who allegedly drove drunk, ran a stop sign and injured a family of three, will now face felony DUI charges after a Fresno County judge withdrew his decision to reduce the charges to misdemeanors.
Judge James Kelley on Wednesday said that in the interest of justice, he couldn’t let his previous ruling stand.
“I don’t do this lightly and in fact I don’t like doing this at all,” Kelley said. “But the circumstances and the facts in this case compel that finding today.”
Last month, Kelley listened to two of the three victims hurt in the crash at Ashlan and Greenwood avenues on Nov. 25, 2018.
Police said Melissa Ann Alexander, 40, blew through a stop sign at that intersection and collided with a vehicle driven by Sarah Shelton of Fresno. Inside the car were Shelton’s 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter.
Shelton and her son were seriously injured in the crash. Shelton, a teacher, had a broken wrist and several ribs. She also had a fractured pelvis.
She spent two and half weeks in the hospital and about six weeks in a wheelchair once she got home. Her son had a broken clavicle and punctured lung. His younger sister had lacerations and bruising on her face.
“They gave very compelling testimony,” Kelley said.
The judge initially agreed to reduce the charges to a misdemeanor on Aug. 5, saying Alexander did not have a criminal record, this was her first DUI and she plead guilty.
But prosecutor Steven Ueltzen objected, saying the crash easily could have been much worse. The judge at that time also hadn’t heard from the victims. Kelley agreed to delay the case until he could hear from the Shelton family.
After hearing their testimony, Kelley later reversed his earlier decision to bump the charges down to misdemeanors.
Alexander’s defense attorney Michael Aed argued Wednesday thate Kelley did not have the authority to reconsider his earlier decision. The judge disagreed.
Facing stiffer chargers, it’s unclear if Alexander will change her plea. She is charged with two felony charges of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or more causing injury, plus DUI while causing injury.
The maximum penalty for all of the charges is 10 years in prison, Ueltzen said.
