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Yarenit Liliana Malihan, who was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter following a crash on Interstate 680 in San Ramon that killed a 3-year-old boy in September, has not yet been formally charged nearly four months later with investigators still awaiting a coroner’s report.
Meanwhile, Malihan last month reached a plea agreement in an unrelated misdemeanor DUI case stemming from a June incident in her hometown of Pleasanton in which she reportedly drove while intoxicated with her daughter in the car.
She was sentenced in Alameda County Superior Court to three years probation, with 106 days credit for time served in jail, after pleading no contest to misdemeanor DUI and child cruelty.
Malihan, who is married to an Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy, remains out of jail custody as the investigation into the fatal September crash is ongoing.
California Highway Patrol public information officer Derek Reed said the CHP investigation is not complete because it is waiting on a report from the coroner.
“Our report has not been filed with the DA yet because of that reason,” Reed said. “As soon as we receive that, we can move forward.”
Reed added that he did not know when that report would be sent to them. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the county’s coroner’s office, had not returned a request for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office would consider whether to file charges once it receives the investigative report from the CHP.
Malihan’s attorney, Kim Burgess, had not returned multiple requests for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.
According to the initial crash report from the CHP, Malihan’s Toyota Sequoia slammed into the back of a black Toyota Camry parked on the shoulder of northbound I-680 near Bollinger Canyon Road, killing toddler Elijah Dunn on Sept. 9. The 3-year-old’s mother also suffered major injuries in the crash, and his brother and sister sustained minor injuries.
Malihan was treated for minor injuries and then arrested by CHP officers and booked into jail following a drug recognition test. She was released on bail the next day.
The CHP said at the time that Malihan had a valid driver’s license and no prior DUI convictions.
While Malihan awaits word on possible charges stemming from the September crash, court records indicate she has resolved the separate misdemeanor DUI case in Alameda County.
On June 7, 2016, Pleasanton police met with Malihan at her home after receiving a report of a family disturbance, according to Alameda County prosecutors.
Upon contact, an officer observed that Malihan had slurred speech, red and watery eyes and smelled like alcohol. Malihan reportedly admitted to police that she had driven her car and picked her 10-year-old daughter up from a friend’s house roughly 30 minutes before they arrived. She also admitted to drinking and consuming Norco, a pain reliever, earlier that day, according to prosecutors.
Malihan was arrested, received a blood test and was booked into Santa Rita Jail where she spent two days in custody. Her test later came back with a blood alcohol content of 0.13%.
Prosecutors filed misdemeanor charges of DUI and child endangerment against Malihan in late July. Following the fatal September crash, a judge granted the prosecution’s request that bail newly be set at $250,000 and Malihan was subsequently taken into custody.
Court records show that on Dec. 8 at the Fremont Hall of Justice, Malihan pleaded no contest to one count of driving while having a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher and one count of child cruelty.
Judge Jacob Blea sentenced Malihan to three years’ probation with 106 days of that probationary period spent in Santa Rita Jail.
Malihan was credited with serving 106 days in jail, with 53 days of actual time in jail and 53 days of behavioral credit, according to court documents. She was also required to pay roughly $2,200 in fines and ordered to take online parenting classes.
As part of her sentence, Malihan will have to obey all laws and report to the court when ordered to do so. She cannot drive unless licensed and insured, and not with any measurable alcohol in her system.
Malihan is scheduled to appear in court for a probation progress report hearing on March 10.
Yet another sad tragedy for all parties involved, more broken families, more broken marriages, and yet we somehow believe making another controlled substances such as marijuana legal will produce different results. Once again we as a society have let ourselves and our children down. My prayers go out for all.
I’m sorry, I have no sympathy for this woman. She needs to be locked up. She obviously has a big problem …and is going to kill others if she’s allowed to keep driving around.
I agree with Greg. When are we going to get tough on drunk drivers? Why was this woman allowed to drive just months after receiving a DUI? This tragedy could have been avoided if Milan’s license had been revoked & if driving drunk required the perp to spend a significant amount of time in jail. I sure she received special treatment because her husband is a police officer.
I only hope she is convicted of vehicular manslaughter & spends the next fifteen years in prison.
“As part of her sentence, Malihan will have to obey all laws and report to the court when ordered to do so. She cannot drive unless licensed and insured, and not with any measurable alcohol in her system.”
What utter nonsense! She has to obey all laws? Didn’t she have to before she killed a 3 year old? She cannot drive unless licensed and insured? Again… Is this a special punishment? No measurable alcohol in her system? She’s an alcoholic! Does she have the self control to not drive drunk again?
Nonsense! Must help being a sherriffs’ wife because this reeks of special treatment for Malihan and no justice for the family who lost that little boy.