Chula Vista
Jerald Covey pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he killed 29-year-old Stephanie Rossi in November as she jogged on Sweetwater Road in Bonita. Covey, 29, entered a barely audible “not guilty” when South Bay Municipal Judge Roy Cazares asked him how he wished to plead. Cazares scheduled a preliminary hearing for Feb. 1.
Covey was operating a motorcycle when he struck Rossi head-on. He was charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter and two of operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles said he was not licensed to operate a motorcycle, and California Highway Patrol investigators said he was not insured.
Rossi, a nurse, was jogging on Sweetwater Road for the first time when she was killed, said her husband, Tom.
If convicted on all charges, Covey could spend four years in state prison, prosecutor Jennifer Yackle said.
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