Woman Faces 10 Years In Prison For Fatal DUI Crash Near Chico

A 26-year-old woman with no criminal record who caused a fatal crash in Chico two weeks ago has made a very unusual move by pleading guilty on her very first appearance in court. On December 16th Shelby Alvarez had left a family Christmas party with a blood alcohol .25 and was texting when she crossed into the opposite lane of Highway 99 near Highway 32 and crashed head-on into a Corvette driven by 21-year-old Octavio Alcaraz-Jimenez. He was ejected and died at the scene. Alvarez had only minor injuries and is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter. She could face up to 10 years in prison when she’s sentenced January 31st. Butte County DA Mike Ramsey points out that Alvarez should have known the danger, and even has a tattoo memorializing a friend who was killed by a drunk driver.