(Woodland, CA) – September 23, 2020 – On September 17, 2020, a Yolo County jury found 47-year-old Woodland woman Marcella Fitzgerald guilty of driving under the influence of marijuana, driving under the influence of alcohol, and driving under the combined influence of both alcohol and marijuana.
On November 24, 2018, Woodland Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on Ms. Fitzgerald’s vehicle. Ms. Fitzgerald had made a left-hand turn that cut into the opposite lane of traffic. Officers also observed her vehicle weaving within its lane. Ms. Fitzgerald exhibited signs and symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance. She denied recent alcohol or marijuana use, stating that she had drank only one alcohol beverage several hours earlier and had smoked marijuana the prior day. Officers conducted field sobriety testing and arrested Ms. Fitzgerald for DUI, and later found a marijuana grinder and smoking pipe in her vehicle. A test of Ms. Fitzgerald’s blood revealed a 0.06% blood alcohol concentration, as well as the presence of THC.
Following the trial, the Honorable Judge Timothy L. Fall sentenced Ms. Fitzgerald to jail time, three years of probation, a fine, and a three-month DUI offender course.
This case was prosecuted by one of Yolo County’s specialized Deputy District Attorneys who are working to stem impaired driving through prosecution, education, and community outreach. Under a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), these prosecutors provide training to law enforcement on identifying impaired drivers, educate members of the community about impaired driving, and do community outreach to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving. Yolo County’s OTS program is one of the most progressive programs in the state, with a strong focus on education and prevention. These prosecutors teach at educational events and take an active role in preventing driving under the influence by engaging the community through high school trials, college outreach, and other community events.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig commented, “My office will continue to not only be proactive in preventing DUI offenses, but will also continue to go after these high-risk offenders. These repeat DUI offenders gamble with the lives of Yolo County residents and my office will not stand for it.” Reisig continued, “Our grant prosecutors are not only educating our community about the dangers of driving under the influence to prevent these incidents, but they are also holding those who drive under the influence accountable.”
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