A Pomona man who was drunk when he crashed his vehicle into the back of a tractor in a construction area on the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway during a rainstorm, killing his passenger, pleaded no contest Thursday to a felony charge.
Jacob Garcia Jr., 51, entered his plea to one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for the Dec. 16, 2010, crash in Alhambra that killed Maria Faith Soloman, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Garcia’s car hydroplaned and crashed into the back of a tractor in a freeway construction area, according to Deputy District Attorney Kevin Keeland. Soloman, 21, died as a result of her injuries, and two other passengers were injured.
Authorities determined that Garcia had a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent at the time of the crash, according to the prosecutor.
Garcia is facing 13 years in state prison, with sentencing set for Feb. 5 before Superior Court Judge Cathryn Brougham.
— City News Service