People v. Castaneda-Jimenez CA1/1

I. BACKGROUND

In August 2020, defendant led law enforcement on a 48-mile high-speed pursuit beginning in St. Helena and ending when he crashed exiting highway 580 in the East Bay. During the pursuit, defendant drove between 100 and 130 miles per hour in the dark, turned off and on his headlights, ran vehicles

1 off the road, and weaved around cars.1 He was arrested and released on bail the same day. After an initial complaint was filed, in July 2021, defendant was charged by felony information with one count of evading a peace officer with a willful disregard for safety (Veh. Code, § 2800.2, subd. (a); Napa case). In August 2022, defendant pled no contest to that count. In the plea form, he stated his understanding that the maximum penalty was three years and that the trial court had indicated a midterm sentence of two years. The court referred the matter to the probation department and set a sentencing hearing. Defendant failed to appear at the September 2022 sentencing hearing and the trial court issued a bench warrant. The record reveals that at some point, defendant was arrested and charged in Alameda County for a separate offense (Alameda case). According to the presentence…