Napa mother charged with manslaughter, DUI in crash that killed her 2 children
A Napa woman is has been charged with multiple felonies following a suspected DUI crash that killed her two children over the weekend.
Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced Tuesday that charges have been filed against 31-year-old Yesica Barajas. Prosecutors have charged Barajas with two felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI causing injuries and two counts of felony child abuse.
Authorities said Barajas was behind the wheel in a crash on southbound Highway 29 at the Imola Avenue off-ramp around 7:20 a.m. Sunday.
The California Highway Patrol said at the time that a 2006 Nissan sedan left the roadway and crashed into a tree at a high rate of speed.
Officers said a boy and a girl died at the scene. The children were later identified as 10-year-old Damien Montanez and his sister, 9-year-old Aaliyah Montanez.
Barajas, who remains in the hospital as she is recovering from her injuries, was administratively booked into the Napa County Department of Corrections. Prosecutors said she will be transported to jail once she is released from the hospital.
During a court hearing on Tuesday, a judge appointed a public defender to represent Barajas and to set her bail at $1.5 million. Barajas is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
