Driver Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of School Guard
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A suspected drunk driver accused of killing a Whittier school crossing guard pleaded not guilty Wednesday to vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run charges.
Patrick Robert McLaughlin, 43, of Anaheim, was arraigned in Whittier Municipal Court. His preliminary hearing was set for June 28. A public defender asked that McLaughlin’s $30,000 bail be lowered but the motion was denied.
McLaughlin is accused of killing John Antonio Vela, 66, Monday afternoon while Vela was escorting two girls in a crosswalk near Lake Elementary School. Vela, of Pomona, was wearing an orange reflective vest and holding a stop sign when he was struck. Authorities said the driver was traveling about 50 m.p.h. in the posted 25 m.p.h. zone and swerved to avoid stopped cars in his path, hitting Vela.
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