Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Hit-And-Run That Killed Teen in Nearby Tierrasanta

SAN DIEGO - A 20-year-old woman accused of leaving the scene after hitting and killing a teenage boy on a nearby Tierrasanta roadway pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony charge of hit-and-run causing death.

Jessica Rene Medsker of San Diego faces a maximum of four years in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Andrew Aguilar.

The prosecutor said 16-year-old Alex Funk and a friend were walking southbound in the fast lane of the 5700 block of Santo Road with their backs toward traffic around midnight March 9.

The victim's friend managed to jump onto a median to avoid being hit, police said.

A motorcycle rider behind Medsker's car estimated she was going 60 mph in a 45-mph zone when Funk was struck, according to Aguilar.

Medsker was arrested six days later about a mile from the stretch of road where the victim died.

The defendant admitted taking sips from her boyfriend's alcoholic drink at a La Jolla restaurant earlier in the evening, the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney Ryan Tegnelia told Judge Kathleen Lewis that Medsker lives with her father and has no prior record.

The judge allowed the defendant to remain free on her already posted $50,000 bail.

A readiness conference was set for May 3 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 18.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock