People v. Ruggles CA3

BACKGROUND

On February 13, 2023, an officer responded to a hit and run traffic incident. The victim had been driving a motorcycle and suffered a spinal fracture, a broken wrist bone, and lacerations to his legs, arms, and face. A witness reported that the pickup truck responsible for the collision turned into a nearby RV park. Officers found the truck, which was registered to defendant, parked outside of defendant’s home. Defendant admitted to being involved in a collision. A driver’s license check showed that his license was suspended due to a prior incident of driving under the influence. A breathalyzer test administered after defendant’s arrest returned a result of 0.21 percent. The People charged defendant with driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage (Veh. Code, § 23153, subd. (a)),1 driving with more than a 0.08 percent blood alcohol content (§ 23153, subd. (b)), hit and run driving resulting in injury (§ 20001, subd. (b)(1)), and driving when the privilege had been suspended due to a conviction for driving under the influence (§ 14601.2, subd. (a)). The People alleged prior strike convictions, a prior serious felony conviction (Pen. Code, § 667, subd. (a)(1)),…