Woman Charged With Felonies in Fatal Crash

The woman whose speeding sport utility vehicle collided head-on with a minivan carrying autistic adults in Van Nuys last week and killed two people pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter Wednesday, authorities said.

Bonnie Yvonne Lee, 28, of Van Nuys is accused of causing the May 23 crash that killed two people from Tierra del Sol, a center for developmentally disabled adults in Sunland.

Tierra del Sol client Robert Hawthorne, 38, and employee Tauheedah Brown, 25, died last week from injuries suffered in the crash, authorities said. The other four van passengers were treated at hospitals and released.

Lee was driving 71 mph in the 6800 block of Woodley Avenue about 11:20 a.m. when her white 2000 Ford Explorer swerved into oncoming traffic and hit the van, according to Los Angeles Police Det. Jose Viramontes.

There were no signs that she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he said.

Lee was charged with two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one felony count of endangering the life of her 2-year-old son, who was riding in the back seat but was uninjured, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Andrea C. Thompson. Lee was also charged with driving without a license, a misdemeanor.

Each felony count carries a maximum sentence of six years in state prison, Thompson said.

Lee, who suffered a broken leg in the crash, is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles in lieu of $300,000 bail.

Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the collision or saw Lee’s vehicle before the crash to call Viramontes at (818) 756-8391.

The detective is also seeking the public’s help in locating Lee’s passenger, whom he identified as Tom Merino, 49, of the San Francisco Bay Area.