A man who drove under the influence and fatally struck a pedestrian in Kearny Mesa pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI.
Prosecutors say Frank William Shoaf, 39, ran a red light at high speeds in a Tesla on Othello Avenue around 8:30 a.m. June 7, veered to the right side of the road, struck a dip and flew onto the sidewalk, where the car struck a woman, a traffic sign and a tree.
The victim, identified in the criminal complaint as Cassandra May, was taken to a hospital, where she died a few hours after the crash.
At Shoaf’s arraignment, Deputy District Attorney Abrey Zora said that just after the crash, Shoaf appeared to not realize he had crashed the car or struck a pedestrian, and failed a series of field sobriety tests.
Zora alleged Shoaf admitted to buying a can of “Dust Off” canned air shortly before the crash, had a history of huffing chemicals, and asked for “one more hit” at the crash scene before being taken to the police station.
Shoaf is expected to be sentenced to a term of four years and four months in state prison later this year.
City News Service contributed to this article.