May 22—An 18-year-old man accused of driving more than 100 mph and crashing into a Bakersfield grandmother of 10 grandchildren had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf Monday in Kern County Superior Court.
Karim Reyad appeared in a wheelchair, charged with second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and several other charges. Some of the charges stem from an April 18 collision on Campus Park Drive that killed Gayla Sue Price.
There are at least two incidents in which police accused Reyad of driving while intoxicated with THC, according to Deputy District Attorney Tara Deal. The second occurrence resulted in the fatality.
Court Commissioner Roger H. Ponce held Reyad with no bail based on the severity of the charges and because it seems he didn’t learn his lesson to drive sober.
“This defendant, unfortunately, just doesn’t get it,” Ponce said.
A pre-preliminary hearing was set for June 2.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.