ARCHIVES

ARCHIVES

Fatal DUI case continues: SB woman pleads not guilty in Cleaves murder case

By Samantha Yale and Chuck Schultz/Staff Writers

A 23-year-old Santa Barbara woman pleaded not guilty Monday to the murder of a longtime senior criminal investigator with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.

Ashley Johnigan was arraigned Monday morning in Superior Court in Santa Maria on charges she killed Laura Cleaves while driving drunk in May.

Cleaves, 53, of Santa Ynez died on May 1 when a vehicle Johnigan was driving slammed into her car on Highway 154 near the intersection with Highway 246.

A Dodge Stratus driven by Cleaves, who was on duty at the time, was struck head-on by an eastbound Mercedes Benz driven by Johnigan that was traveling in the westbound lane of Highway 154, the California Highway Patrol has reported.

Johnigan was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol following the late-night crash, according to the CHP.

CHP officers have said they pulled up behind the Mercedes on eastbound Highway 154 near Armour Ranch Road after they received a call that that driver was possibly intoxicated. Officers found the Mercedes stopped, partially in the eastbound lane of the highway, with a woman at the wheel.

The officers got out of their patrol car and were approaching the Mercedes when the car sped away eastbound on Highway 154, crossed the double yellow lines and went into the oncoming traffic lane, the CHP has said.

As the officers were driving back onto the road, the Mercedes collided head-on with the Dodge, according to the CHP.

After the crash, the Mercedes continued east and collided with a Ford Escape, the CHP reported. Johnigan and the driver of the Ford, whose name was not released, suffered minor injuries.

Johnigan has been charged by the Office of the Attorney General with murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and two counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, said Deputy Attorney General Michael Keller, the case prosecutor.

The DUI causing great bodily injury counts are due to injuries to Cleaves and the driver of the Ford Escape, he said.

The Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case because Cleaves was employed with the District Attorney’s Office.

Johnigan, accompanied by her attorney, Robert Sanger, pleaded not guilty to all counts.

The attorneys told Judge James Rigali that they agreed on an increased bail amount for Johnigan, and her bond was raised from $100,000 to $200,000.

Johnigan was out on bail at Monday’s hearing.

Keller said outside court that the defendant’s bail was increased because she was originally arrested on different charges, which carried a different bail amount.

Keller said during the hearing that Johnigan is not allowed to drink alcohol, drive or leave the state. She is in a residential treatment program, he said.

Rigali ordered that Johnigan post the increased bond by the end of the day if she was going to remain out of custody.

The judge set the next court date in the case for Sept. 17, at which time a preliminary hearing is expected to be scheduled.

Keller said he would not discuss the facts of the case, and Sanger could not be reached for comment after the court appearance.

When she was arrested by the CHP on May 1, Johnigan was already on three years probation for a March 2007 conviction for misdemeanor check forgery in Santa Barbara, according to Superior Court records. She received a 30-day jail sentence in that case, which she was ordered to serve last October.

The night of the fatal crash, she was drinking at Maverick's Saloon in Los Olivos and became so intoxicated that other patrons and bar employees pleaded with her not to drive, but instead take a taxi when she left, several sources said.

A cab was called for her, but while she was waiting for it to arrive, Johnigan suddenly bolted for her car and drove off, ignoring people yelling for her not to do so, according to Maverick's Saloon’s lawyer, Arnold Lancaster of Santa Maria.

"They did everything they could" to stop her, he said, short of physically restraining her. "You can't assault someone physically" to stop them from driving or get their car keys, he noted.

"My understanding from the CHP is that people at Maverick's did everything they could to prevent this gal from getting in her car," Lancaster said.

Someone at the bar called 9-1-1 and alerted authorities that Johnigan was driving and apparently drunk, but Lancaster said he did not know whether it was an employee or patron who made that call.

Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@syvnews.com. Chuck Schultz can be reached at 925-2691, Ext. 2241, or cschultz@ssyvnews.com.