On August 27, in Vista, San Diego County, a woman was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for driving under the influence and causing the death of her two children on a highway. Last year on Father’s Day, Sandra Ortiz was driving back home from the park with her children when an item fell out of the car onto the highway. She stopped the car on the side of Highway 78, and her two children, 10-year-old Alan and 16-year-old Amy, got out of the car to retrieve the item. Tragically, they were struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle as they walked onto the highway. At the time of the accident, Ortiz was in the car with her four other children.
Police later found that Ortiz’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.14%, exceeding the legal limit of 0.08%. According to the prosecutor in San Diego County, Ortiz not only drove under the influence but also none of the six children in the car were wearing seat belts. Additionally, she did not have a valid driver’s license. The charges stated that Ortiz failed to prevent the children from exiting the vehicle and did not ensure their return.
The prosecutor revealed that Ortiz and her family had moved to Vista from Arizona in December 2022 and had not yet found a stable residence. The children were not attending school either. Ortiz was initially released on bail after her arrest but was soon back in jail for violating multiple bail conditions, such as drinking alcohol and not charging her monitoring device. However, she was eventually released.
In February of this year, Ortiz reached a plea agreement, admitting to the charges of endangering children and driving under the influence. The prosecutor dropped the charge of vehicular manslaughter due to negligence in the accident.
During the sentencing hearing on August 27, Ortiz pleaded with the judge for another chance. Ortiz’s mother, present in the courtroom with the help of a translator, asked the judge to give her daughter another opportunity, citing the need for Ortiz to care for her other children. Ortiz’s mother expressed, “We need her; I don’t want the lives of the other children to be ruined. They need their mother.”
Prosecutor Marnie Lyon stated that Ortiz must be held accountable for her actions.