The couple responsible for the ATV crash that seriously injured a Princeton teenager in 2020 has taken responsibility for the near fatal collision.
Raymond Zapien, 32, of Princeton, pleaded no contest on Monday to a felony charge of attempted murder in connection to crash, in which he purposely veered off Highway 45 and into a stalled ATV.
Destiny Sorrels, of Princeton, the ATV driver, suffered a broken neck and other injuries when she was struck.
Zapien is facing up to nine years in state prison for attempted murder, plus one year for workers compensation fraud, after he admitted to collecting $53,000 in California unemployment benefits while he was incarcerated.
Zapiens girlfriend, Skye Flores, 34, of Oroville, was convicted of child endangerment and being an accessory after the fact in a plea deal with the District Attorneys Office that kept her from going to prison.
Flores was sentenced to 255 days in jail and 48 months probation on Aug. 23 for her part in the multi-vehicle collision that injured Sorrels and risked the life of her son, Silas, who was riding in the back seat of Zapiens 2014 Buick LaCross, as they traveled northbound on Highway 45 on May 31, 2020.
Colusa County District Attorney Matthew Beauchamp said Flores contribution to the collision that put her sons life at risk was particularly egregious because Flores had been drinking Fireballs and had purchased and supplied liquor to Zapien, who had just been released from jail that day.
The couple apparently were in a verbal altercation when Zapien said ” Im going to kill us all,” and then deliberately drove into the ATV, which Zapien admitted Monday through his Sacramento criminal defense attorney, Michelle Spaulding.
Following the initial crash with the ATV, Zapien attempted to drive away from the scene when a separate vehicle, driven by Kyle Wills, of Princeton, pulled in front of the Buick to block Zapiens escape. Zapien then crashed into Wills pickup, disabling his own vehicle, and then fled the scene on foot, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Beauchamp said Flores and Zapiens sister, Veronica, later met up with Zapien and helped him avoid arrest by driving him from Colusa County, which Flores and the sister admitted when they pleaded no contest to being accessories after the fact.
According to her pre-sentence report from the Colusa County Probation Department, Flores was eligible for probation, although her ability to stay out of trouble will depend on her willingness to do so.
Because she is not particularly ” remorseful” for her actions, the Probation Department determined Flores could still pose a danger to others.
Flores was also instructed to receive substance/alcohol abuse counseling. Her terms of probation are that she is not allowed to drink or possess alcohol, marijuana, or illegal substances. She must also submit to alcohol testing at the request of her probation officer and she was ordered to obey all laws.
Flores was given credit off her 255 days for the 83 actual days she spent in jail and an additional 82 conduct credits. She was ordered to report to jail to complete her sentence by Sept. 10.
Raymond Zapien will be sentenced for attempted murder on Oct. 13.
In exchange for Zapiens plea, the District Attorney dismissed charges of assault with a deadly weapon, DUI causing injury, child endangerment, and four special allegations for using a deadly weapon and causing great bodily injury, which could have greatly enhanced his sentence if convicted by a jury. –