A Pomona man remains behind bars on $1 million bail awaiting arraignment felony charges of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, excessive blood alcohol content and second-degree murder in connection with fatal car accident. The young man was scheduled to appear for arraignment in Orange County on the felony DUI charges earlier this week, but his hearing has been delayed day by day as a result of injuries he sustained in the accident.

The events on the night of the fatal car accident are somewhat unclear. Prosecutors claim that the man had been drinking with his friends at a Newport Beach bar that night. He and his girlfriend reportedly took a cab from the bar to a friend's home.

Police reports indicate that one victim suffered fatal injuries and at least three people, including the defendant, were hurt in the accident.

This young man, who was reportedly seen leaving a bar, is in custody. He has been charged with murder, felony DUI causing bodily injury, and driving with a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher and causing injury. He also faces the possibility of sentencing enhancements.

This case is a tragedy for everyone involved.

As citizens, we can weigh the policy behind drunk driving laws, and we can truly empathize with the victims of a tragic car accident, but we cannot know whether this particular young man is guilty under the law of the serious crimes with which he now stands charged. We must rely on the wisdom of our peers who, as jurors, will be given the grave responsibility of determining the truth. Rather than engaging in speculation or rushing to judgment, we must trust the criminal justice system to proceed in a deliberate and measured fashion.

Source: Orange County Register, "Suspect in deadly wrong-way crash back in court," Vik Jolly and Greg Hardesty, Feb. 6, 2012