A Chula Vista man who struck and killed a baker as he was about to go to work was sentenced Nov. 9 to three years in state prison.
Family members of Rogelio Medrano Arellano, 62, spoke at the sentencing of Guillermo Jimenez, 29, who was handcuffed and taken into custody immediately after he was sentenced by Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Francis Devaney.
Arrellano was struck March 11 as he was getting into his car in the 400 block of Moss Street and 4th Avenue in Chula Vista. He was a baker for 30 years at the Grab & Go Hot Sandwiches company, according to the restaurant website.
Devaney ordered Jimenez to pay several thousand dollars to the victim’s family for burial expenses. Arlene’s family members and Jimenez were tearful during the hearing.
Deputy District Attorney Cherie Somerville asked for six years in state prison. She said there were three people who testified at the preliminary hearing who said Jimenez had been drinking alcohol earlier that evening. Another witness testified he purchased alcohol before the 9:45 p.m. crash.
Jimenez pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and hit and run with death. He faced a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison. He parked his vehicle after the crash and joined a crowd of onlookers who gathered near the scene. He then left and drove the car into Mexico and left it, said the prosecutor, and walked back into the U.S.
“I can’t ignore his blatant attempts to avoid responsibility for this,” said Devaney.
Jimenez did surrender to authorities three days later, but no blood/alcohol tests could be used as evidence because of the passage of time. Jimenez had been free on $100,000 bond, but was jailed immediately after the sentencing. He received credit for spending about 20 days in jail.
