Trial Postponed for Driver Accused in Death of Woman, Pet

With neither the prosecution or defense available, trial was put off today for a convicted drunken driver accused of plowing down an 87-year-old Temecula woman and her dog on a sidewalk, fatally injuring both, while under the influence of drugs.

Harry Shane Scholes, 56, could face 15 years to life in prison if convicted in the July 18, 2011, death of Charlotte Boyce.

Scholes' attorney, Jaki Andrews, and Riverside County Deputy District Attorney David Tahan today both requested that Superior Court Judge Elaine Johnson defer the start of the defendant's trial for a few months because of scheduling conflicts.

Johnson set a new trial date for Nov. 9. Jury selection could start anytime between then and Nov. 19.

Scholes is charged with second-degree murder, DUI gross vehicular manslaughter, driving on a suspended license and driving on a suspended license while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to sheriff's investigators, Boyce was out for a morning walk with her dachshund, Lucy, along Via Cordoba when the defendant's pickup truck veered off the roadway and crashed into the pair.

Scholes, who lived with his parents just a few blocks from the crash site, was allegedly under the influence of prescription drugs at the time. The thrice-convicted DUI offender had lost his driving privileges because of a misdemeanor DUI conviction months before the crash.

According to published reports, he had a "Smart Start" ignition interlock device installed in his pickup truck that required him to breathe into an alcohol detector before he could drive -- a requirement that was among the terms of his probation stemming from a 2009 conviction. The device, however, could not detect the presence of drugs.