Plea Deal Pending In Pregnant Farmworker's Death
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) -- Two farm labor contractors implicated in the death of a 17-year-old pregnant farmworker have agreed to a plea deal that will likely spare them a trial appearance and a lengthy jail sentence.
Maria De Los Angeles Colunga and Elias Armenta originally were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, who collapsed from heat stroke after working in a sweltering vineyard in 2008.
Their lawyer and prosecutors say both will agree to plea to lesser charges in early March, when the case is next set to go before San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Michael Garrigan.
Their company, Atwater-based Merced Farm Labor, was fined more than $262,000 and the state subsequently shut down the contractor, accusing its principals of failing to train employees for heat-related emergencies.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
