Drunk driver who abandoned car in freeway sentenced

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The drunk driver who caused the death of a Spring Valley man was sentenced May 17 to six years in state prison.

David Armando Olvera, 30, said nothing in court before he was sentenced for causing the death of Gregory Scott, 40, who was killed June 17, 2017. 

The drunk driver who caused the death of a Spring Valley man was sentenced May 17 to six years in state prison.

David Armando Olvera, 30, said nothing in court before he was sentenced for causing the death of Gregory Scott, 40, who was killed June 17, 2017. 

Scott crashed into Olvera’s Jeep at 2:50 a.m. which was left in the fast lane of Interstate 15 north of Friars Road. He was driving home to his wife, Christy Scott, and their two children following a late night hockey practice.

Christy Scott was the editor of The Alpine Sun for many years.

Olvera, of Chula Vista, pleaded guilty on April 20 to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI. 

San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh gave Olvera credit for serving 335 days in jail and fined him $3,894.

Walsh ordered Olvera to pay restitution to Scott’s widow and three other drivers who also crashed into the Jeep, but set a hearing for July 23 to determine how much the restitution would be.

Olvera’s parents and other family members attended the sentencing.

Deputy District Attorney Andrew Aguilar said his office agreed to a 6-year sentence due to “causation issues” regarding the crash.

Olvera was not driving and wasn’t in the car when the other vehicles struck his Jeep.  Apparently, Olvera struck the center median and he left his car in the two freeway lanes.

The prosecutor said there was “no direct evidence” that showed what happened to the Jeep before it became disabled. He also said in court that Gregory Scott was not wearing a seat belt at the time and that contributed to his death.

Aguilar said his office felt it was “best to settle” the case rather than go to trial.

Olvera’s blood/alcohol level was registered at .21 several hours after the crash, said Aguilar. 

After leaving his Jeep on the freeway, he went to a wooded area and fell asleep, according to previous testimony.

Scott was the second motorist to hit Olvera’s Jeep as three other drivers also struck the vehicles. Another motorist suffered a concussion.

Olvera had two misdemeanor convictions for drunk driving in 2007 and 2009, according to court records. The prosecutor said he was aware of the dangers of drinking and driving because he attended a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers impact panel as part of probation.

Halloween assaulter sentenced

A 10-year prison term was handed down May 15 to Jesus Joel Perez, 28, who pleaded guilty to assaulting two people at a Halloween party in Spring Valley.

El Cajon Superior Court Judge Robert Amador denied probation for the Oct. 30, 3016 incident in which one man was shot in the torso in the 800 block of Broadview Street.

Perez received credit for one and a half years in jail. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assault and the charges of attempted murder with gang allegations were dismissed.

As the party was breaking up, a fight occurred outside. Perez fired a handgun several times, and the man who was shot lost a kidney, said Deputy District Attorney Kristian Trocha.

One other man was hit with the gun and another man was punched in the fight. Perez fled the scene and he was arrested Dec. 14, 2016 in Del Mar by sheriff’s deputies.

Shooter given 27 years

An El Cajon man who shot at his girlfriend’s brother three times was sentenced on May 14 to 27 years in state prison.

Joseph William Bollacker, 26, was given 20 years for using a gun in the May 18, 2017, incident plus seven years for attempted murder by El Cajon Superior Court Judge Lantz Lewis. Bollacker received credits of one year in jail since the incident.

All three shots missed the victim, Charlie Meza-Perez, 19, who was running away in a parking lot in the 600 block of S. Johnson Avenue in El Cajon. Two parked cars were hit by bullets.

Deputy District Attorney Daniel Shim said a jury convicted Bollacker of attempted murder on March 5.