{"id":9841,"date":"2012-03-16T14:10:30","date_gmt":"2012-03-16T21:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.57.196.122\/~gdatwofo\/theavtimes\/?p=9841"},"modified":"2012-07-03T10:06:19","modified_gmt":"2012-07-03T17:06:19","slug":"alleged-dui-driver-pleads-not-guilty-family-grieves-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/2012\/03\/16\/alleged-dui-driver-pleads-not-guilty-family-grieves-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Alleged DUI driver pleads not guilty, family grieves victims"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The early morning collision on March 13 in Lancaster killed Angelica Goins-Jones, 42, and left her husband Patrick Jones, 43, clinging to life at Antelope Valley Hospital.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LANCASTER \u2013 The suspected drunk driver involved in Tuesday\u2019s collision<\/a>, that killed a Lancaster woman and critically injured the woman\u2019s husband, cried throughout her court appearance Thursday.<\/p>\n

Jodi Lynn Biers<\/strong>, 28, was charged with five felonies – gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, two counts of driving under the influence and causing injury, and two counts of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more.<\/p>\n

She pleaded not guilty to all charges and was ordered to appear on March 27 for a preliminary hearing. Her bail was raised to $230,000.<\/p>\n

Before being led away by deputies, a weeping Biers clasped her hands as if in prayer and appeared to mouth the words \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m sorry\u201d to the crowd of people in the courtroom.<\/p>\n

Several in the courtroom were family members and friends of Angelica Goins-Jones<\/strong> and her husband, Patrick Jones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer saying sorry to us made me feel bad for her because I believe that she truly is sorry for what she did,\u201d said the couple\u2019s sister, Nicole Jones. \u201cBut that\u2019s not going to bring Angie back and it\u2019s not going to bring my brother out of the hospital. She [Biers] needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Authorities said Biers was driving with a blood alcohol level of .226, nearly three times the legal limit, when her pickup truck collided with the couple\u2019s vehicle around 12:54 a.m. Tuesday, instantly killing Angelica and leaving Patrick in the hospital fighting for his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not conscious right now,\u201d said Nicole Jones. \u201cHe\u2019s on a ventilator because his lungs collapsed, his diaphragm is torn, his kidneys are only functioning at 25 percent, and he has a bruised heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The couple had been together for 21 years, and married for 10. Family members say they have received an immeasurable amount of support from well wishers since the fatal collision.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Worst of all, she says, is what her brother must hear when he wakes up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t even know about his wife yet,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are all trying to stay strong and be there for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angelica and Patrick had been together for 21 years, was married for 10 years, and shared a 19-year-old daughter, Nicole Jones said.<\/p>\n

Early Tuesday morning, the couple was headed home after a long night of packing boxes and moving furniture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were helping me move and pack,\u201d Nicole Jones said. \u201cThey left my house around 12:30 [a.m.] and they just wanted to get home and get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple was only minutes away from their home on 10th<\/sup> street west when the collision happened.<\/p>\n

Authorities say Biers was traveling south on 10th<\/sup> street west and the couple was traveling east on West Avenue L.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe [Angelica] was in the intersection on a green light ready to make a turn,\u201d Lancaster Station spokesman Michael Rust said Thursday. He said investigators have not determined the exact rate of speed Biers was traveling when her pickup truck slammed into the vehicle, and he did not want to give an estimated rate of speed because the matter was still under investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we know she was extremely drunk, so we\u2019re putting her 100 percent at fault,\u201d Rust said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The couple\u2019s 19-year-old daughter Taylor, said she is grieving the loss of her mom while trying to stay strong for her father.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShe hit my sister\u2019s car so hard that even after the impact it pushed it 100 feet,\u201d said Paula Goins. \u201cI really don\u2019t have any words for her\u2026 her feelings of guilt may diminish over time but our family will always be in pain because we will never ever get my sister back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several family members were angered by the results of Thursday\u2019s court hearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not vehicular manslaughter, I believe it should be murder and attempted murder,\u201d said Nicole Jones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the bail should have been set higher to at least one million dollars,\u201d said Paula Goins. \u201cYou have one person dead, you have another person critically injured, and you have a child that could possibly lose both parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s daughter, Taylor Jones, was also at the hearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love my mom more than anything and I miss her so much,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to stay strong right now because of my father\u2026 I know he needs me to be strong for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The preliminary hearing on the case is set for March 27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LANCASTER \u2013 The suspected drunk driver involved in Tuesday\u2019s collision, that killed a Lancaster woman and critically injured the woman\u2019s husband, cried throughout her court appearance Thursday. Jodi Lynn Biers, 28, was charged with five felonies – gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, two counts of driving under the influence and causing injury, and two counts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[719,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9841"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theavtimes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}