Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Suspect in Fatal Crash High On Pot
A Menifee man accused of fatally striking a 69-year-old woman's vehicle east of Wildomar was high at the time, police said.
A 69-year-old woman was killed in a Winchester crash by a driver high on marijuana, according to police.
Ella Anne Jefferson, a Hemet resident, died from injuries suffered in a head-on collision on Domenigoni Parkway on Monday, according to a coroner report.
The crash was allegedly caused by Ryan Mahan, a 20-year-old Menifee resident who officials said was driving under the influence. Investigators found marijuana paraphernalia in his car, California Highway Patrol Officer Darren Meyer said.
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Mahan was reportedly driving west on Donmegoni in a 2003 Saturn Ion when he swerved in and out of lanes, over the concrete center median and into the path of Jefferson's 2011 Toyota Camry.
Jefferson didn't have time to move and struck the oncoming vehicle head-on. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
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Mahan was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar in serious condition, Meyer said.
The allegedly intoxicated driver was expected to survive and will be hauled in on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter and DUI when he is ready to leave the hospital.
City News Service contributed to this report.
