Driver in Napa County crash that killed 6 people charged with 3 prior DUIs, records show
POPE VALLEY, Calif. (KGO) -- Tire marks and shattered glass mark the site in Pope Valley where a minivan with eight people inside crashed against a tree, killing six people Sunday afternoon.
"I woke up this morning and when I saw how many people died, I just broke into tears. Its horrible," said Nancy Meacham, a Napa County resident.
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Meacham left flowers at the crash site to remember the lost lives.
"They were traveling south on Pope Valley Road - we don't know exactly why - but the driver ended up crossing over the double yellow lines driving off the roadway and hitting a tree," said CHP Sergeant Andrew Barclay.
The driver and a second passenger were both transported to a nearby hospital where CHP officers began to question the driver.
"Our officers went to the hospital and interviewed him and made the determination that he was driving under the influence of alcohol, and he has seen been arrested," said Sergeant Barclay.
CHP identified the driver as a 53-year-old man from Stockton California. We are not identifying him until he formally faces charges from this case in court.
We dug into his records and found that the San Joaquin County District Attorney Office had prosecuted someone with the same name and date of birth three times for DUI - in 2010, 2020, and 2024.
PREVIOUS STORY: 6 killed, 2 injured after car crashes into tree in Napa Co.; driver arrested for DUI, CHP says
The Napa District Attorney's office confirmed they will be prosecuting this case.
"We are looking at multiple counts of felony DUI and we are looking at charges of murder. We are looking at six people killed in this crash I'm sure there will be additional charges as we continue to investigate," said Sergeant Barclay.
At the scene, we found an ID belonging to an inmate from the San Juaquin County sheriff with the driver's name and photo. San Joaquin county DA confirmed someone by that name was in custody last week on a domestic violence case.
The driver and another passenger remain in the hospital recovering from injuries.
