Chula Vista
A 19-year-old hit-and-run driver who had been drinking was sentenced Wednesday to two years in state prison for killing a pedestrian.
Alvaro Munoz Ahumada of Chula Vista was also fined $10,000 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Herbert Exarhos.
Ahumada, a first-time offender, pleaded guilty to hit-and-run June 24 stemming from a Jan. 24 accident that killed Donna Wilson Scharr, 32. He also pleaded no contest to drunk driving as a misdemeanor.
Ahumada’s attorney, John Keeling, conceded that his client “panicked” after hitting Scharr and fled. But he argued that Ahumada should be sentenced only for hit-and-run and not for causing the accident. The accident occurred on Broadway in Chula Vista.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Bill Woodward responded by saying, “This death would not have occurred if this man were not driving impaired.” Keeling urged a six-month sentence or participation in a work-furlough program.
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