Woman Pleads Guilty To Crash That Killed East County Motorcyclist

SAN DIEGO, CA — A woman who ran a red light in San Carlos, causing a motorcyclist to slam into her vehicle and sustain fatal injuries, pleaded guilty this week to a gross vehicular manslaughter charge.

Sarah Meland, 51, was charged in the Feb. 13 crash that killed 67-year-old El Cajon resident Dane Terry, a local musician known for performing in several bands, including Cadillac Wreckers, a blues band he co-founded.

As part of the guilty plea entered Monday, a judge agreed to sentence Meland to a probation term next month.

At Meland's arraignment earlier this year, Deputy District Attorney Hailey Williams alleged Meland "intentionally" ran the red light just before 6 a.m. at Bisby Lake Avenue to turn left onto Navajo Road. The prosecutor alleged Meland routinely ran the red light at that intersection on her morning commute to work.

Terry struck the side of Meland's vehicle and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

— City News Service