Retired officer was drunk and texting just before crash that killed California woman, DA says
A retired police officer will stand trial on a murder charge stemming from a January crash in Jamestown that killed an Oakdale woman.
The prosecution said Theodore William Young, 64, of Sonora was driving drunk and texting just before the head-on collision, the Union Democrat reported Monday. Rebekah Gall, 27, died at a Modesto hospital after being taken by helicopter from the Highway 49-108 scene.
Judge Kevin Seibert ordered Young to trial following a preliminary hearing last week in Tuolumne County Superior Court. The defendant, who is retired from the Pleasanton Police Department, remained in the county jail on $1 million bail. A trial date has not been set.
Gall was working in social services for Tuolumne County at the time of the Jan. 18 wreck. A few days later, family and friends honored her with a vigil in Valley View Park in Oakdale.
“I know heaven gained an angel,” Obalit Khana told The Modesto Bee.
“She was wonderful,” Michelle Alva said. “I’m sure everyone will tell you that.”
Officer testifies about texts
The accident happened at about 5:15 p.m. as Gall was driving an Acura sedan south near Chicken Ranch Road. Young was northbound in a Toyota pickup truck that veered into the opposite lane and struck the car, the California Highway Patrol reported at the time.
The Sonora newspaper provided other details from the preliminary hearing:
CHP Officer Elliot Lopez testified that Young had a blood alcohol level of 0.11%, above the legal limit.
The officer also said that at 4:02 p.m. that day, Young’s wife texted to her husband’s mobile phone, “Drive safe, hope you didn’t drink too much today,” and Young responded by text at 5:17 p.m., “Miss you lots” and “Will be worse by bedtime.”
Lopez testified that Young was “also scrolling through Amazon like he was trying to buy something.”
Beer cans in cab
Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Novelli showed photos of empty beer cans, beer bottle caps and unopened beer cans found in and below the front passenger seat of the pickup.
Defense attorney Clint Parish told the Union Democrat after the hearing that Young “has shown more remorse than any client I’ve had in a long time.”
The defendant also has a misdemeanor conviction for drunk driving in Sonora in 2017, court records show. He will return to court Aug. 5 for a new arraignment in advance of the murder trial.
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Retired officer was drunk and texting just before crash that killed California woman, DA says."
