Driver Accused In Deadly San Ramon DUI Crash Returns To Court

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Pleasanton resident Yarenit Liliana Malihan, 40, who has been charged in a suspected DUI crash that took a toddler's life and injured his family, will be back in court this week. Malihan is accused of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of a drug causing injury in the 2016 collision in San Ramon.

Malihan, who is in jail in Contra Costa County, will be back in court at 10 a.m. on December 7 in Martinez. She faces a maximum of 11 years in state prison if convicted on felony both charges, officials said. Malihan, the wife of an Alameda County sheriff's deputy, was arrested on Sept. 9, 2016, by CHP officers after the crash on Interstate 680 near Bollinger Canyon Road that took the life of Elijah Dunn, 3, and seriously injured the boy's siblings and mother, who were stopped in their car on the side of the freeway. She surrendered to CHP investigators in Dublin in May. Her bail was set at $3 million.

The district attorney's office alleges that Malihan, whose toxicology reports revealed the presence of drugs in her blood, lost control of her vehicle and collided with a car stopped on the shoulder. Following her September arrest, Malihan was treated for minor injuries at San Ramon Regional Medical Center and booked into the county jail. Malihan was driving on a provisional license the night of the tragic crash as the result of another alleged DUI-related crash in Pleasanton in June of 2016.

According to Alameda County court records, Malihan was arrested in that case in June 2016 and faces three charges, including child cruelty and driving under the influence, which were filed in August of 2016. Malihan was arrested again in May of 2017– this time in Pleasanton on suspicion of public intoxication, according to police records. The Pleasanton Police Department arrest log shows Malihan was arrested at 2:47 p.m. on May 12 in the 5500 block of West Las Positas.

Malihan's lawyer has not yet been reached for comment.

Photo courtesy Pleasanton Police Department