By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
A Roseville man who purposely crashed his car into an oncoming vehicle, injuring the driver, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Rickey Scott Molina, 22, who had vowed to kill himself by driving into oncoming traffic, was sentenced Aug. 12 by Placer County Superior Court Judge Robert P. McElhany. Molina agreed to a plea arrangement for the assault by vehicle and other offenses, a Placer County District Attorney's Office news release states.
Molina's attorney, Jess Bedore, requested probation for his client. He said Molina had realized while in jail that he has mental health issues. Bedore argued that anger management classes and continuing therapy, rather than prison, would allow Molina to be rehabilitated.
Judge McElhany, however, said he was not satisfied that such measures would protect public safety.
In addition to the Dec. 6, 2008, incident in which he was arrested for driving into oncoming traffic, Molina was arrested in separate cases that involved unlawful sex with a 17-year-old girl and vandalism.
In the driving incident, Molina, who was reportedly angry over a breakup with his girlfriend, told another person that he was going to kill himself. He then got into his car, drove onto Lead Hill Boulevard and veered into oncoming traffic. He clipped one car, then smashed into a second vehicle, injuring a woman driver.
Molina eventually pleaded guilty to three assault charges for the driving incident and to the unlawful sex and vandalism counts.
The parents of Molina's ex-girlfriend told the judge at the sentencing that they feared for their daughter and entire family if Molina were allowed to be free on probation, the news release states. The woman's father said his daughter received phone calls from Molina even though the defendant was in jail and a restraining order prohibited him from contacting the woman.
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.