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Laura Freeman, 17 year old killed in car accident in September 2007 on Highway 174.
The mother of a Nevada Union High School student killed in a car crash pleaded with a judge Thursday to forbid the man who was driving the vehicle - Joshua Yeager - from leaving the state to be with his father for Christmas.
"My daughter doesn't get another chance for a holiday with her family," Shelley Crawford told Judge Julie McManus in court Thursday afternoon.
Crawford's daughter, Laura Freeman, 17, was killed Sept. 22 when the Jeep Cherokee that Yeager was driving crashed into a tree off Highway 174 in Cedar Ridge.
Freeman's friend, a 15-year-old boy, was riding in the back seat. He was injured and survived the accident.
Laura and her friend had reportedly just met Yeager, 22, of Las Vegas, at a gas station in downtown Grass Valley the evening of the accident, Crawford said. The pair had asked Yeager to give them a ride home, said Yeager's attorney, Stephen Munkelt, of Nevada City.
"My daughter doesn't get another chance for a holiday with her family," Shelley Crawford told Judge Julie McManus in court Thursday afternoon.
Crawford's daughter, Laura Freeman, 17, was killed Sept. 22 when the Jeep Cherokee that Yeager was driving crashed into a tree off Highway 174 in Cedar Ridge.
Freeman's friend, a 15-year-old boy, was riding in the back seat. He was injured and survived the accident.
Laura and her friend had reportedly just met Yeager, 22, of Las Vegas, at a gas station in downtown Grass Valley the evening of the accident, Crawford said. The pair had asked Yeager to give them a ride home, said Yeager's attorney, Stephen Munkelt, of Nevada City.
In court Thursday, McManus denied Yeager's request to leave the state on the basis that Nevada County cannot enforce the terms of his jail release in another state.
Crawford thanked her.
The district attorney charged Yeager Oct. 18 with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence with bodily injury and driving with 0.08 percent or more of alcohol in his blood.
Yeager was released from jail on a $2,500 bond, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Oct. 19.
He has been living with an uncle in Grass Valley. As part of the conditions of his release, Yeager was not permitted to enter places where alcoholic beverages are served or sold.
However, visiting Judge Jane York ruled Oct. 26 that Yeager violated his terms of release by going to a bar in downtown Grass Valley, according to court documents.
Crawford thanked her.
The district attorney charged Yeager Oct. 18 with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence with bodily injury and driving with 0.08 percent or more of alcohol in his blood.
Yeager was released from jail on a $2,500 bond, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Oct. 19.
He has been living with an uncle in Grass Valley. As part of the conditions of his release, Yeager was not permitted to enter places where alcoholic beverages are served or sold.
However, visiting Judge Jane York ruled Oct. 26 that Yeager violated his terms of release by going to a bar in downtown Grass Valley, according to court documents.
Crawford saw Yeager leaving the bar, and reported it to authorities, she said.
York revised the terms of Yeager's bond to include submitting to tests of his blood, breath or urine for alcohol and submitting to random search and seizure.
Crawford and Freeman's friends reminisced outside the courtroom Thursday about the 17-year-old's life, describing her as vivacious, bold and energetic.
"She always wanted to make someone laugh," Crawford said.
Laura loved working with animals, and she harbored dreams of being a child psychologist and a photographer, her mother said.
York revised the terms of Yeager's bond to include submitting to tests of his blood, breath or urine for alcohol and submitting to random search and seizure.
Crawford and Freeman's friends reminisced outside the courtroom Thursday about the 17-year-old's life, describing her as vivacious, bold and energetic.
"She always wanted to make someone laugh," Crawford said.
Laura loved working with animals, and she harbored dreams of being a child psychologist and a photographer, her mother said.
Crawford and Monica Freeman - of no relation to the victim, but mother to Laura's boyfriend - said she would like Yeager to serve the maximum possible sentence in prison.
The maximum sentence for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is four years in prison, according to the California Penal Code.
Munkelt said he and Yeager do not agree with the charges as they stand.
The next pre-trial hearing in the Yeager case is scheduled for 1 p.m. Jan. 3 in Nevada County Superior Court.
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To contact Staff Writer Robyn Moormeister, e-mail robynm@the union.com or call 477-4236.
The maximum sentence for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is four years in prison, according to the California Penal Code.
Munkelt said he and Yeager do not agree with the charges as they stand.
The next pre-trial hearing in the Yeager case is scheduled for 1 p.m. Jan. 3 in Nevada County Superior Court.
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To contact Staff Writer Robyn Moormeister, e-mail robynm@the union.com or call 477-4236.
