San Jacinto woman sentenced to year in jail for 2018 DUI crash that killed elderly Yucaipa man

June 21, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

SAN JACINTO, Calif. — A 25-year-old San Jacinto woman who killed an elderly Yucaipa man in an early-morning “T-Bone” traffic collision in San Jacinto in October 2018 was sentenced to a year in jail and five years felony probation on Thursday, June 17.

Angelica Hauste pleaded guilty last month to DUI gross vehicular manslaughter with a sentence-enhancing great bodily injury allegation, for the DUI-related death of 72-year-old, Richard Thomas. Her plea was offered directly to Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez, without any direct input from the District Attorney’s Office.

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According to San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station officials who investigated the deadly collision, the DUI crash happened shortly after 4 a.m. on Oct. 27, 2018, at the intersection of Ramona Expressway and State Street.

Angelica Hauste, 25, of San Jacinto, was sentenced to one year in jail and five years felony probation last Thursday, after an October, 2018 crash that killed 72-year-old, Richard Thomas, of Yucaipa. RSO booking photo

After Hauste’s arrest, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Bryan DeLoss explained that the intoxicated woman had been traveling eastbound on Ramona Expressway in her 2017 Toyota Corolla just before the collision. At the same time Thomas was preparing to make a left turn — on a green traffic signal — in his 2004 Chrysler Sebring, from northbound State St. onto westbound Ramona Expressway.

As the vehicles entered the intersection and Thomas began to make his turn, the two vehicles collided, with Hauste’s Toyota slamming broadside into Thomas’ driver’s side door. The tremendous impact caused major damage to both vehicles, according to DeLong and many area residents later reported being woken up by the sound of what one woman described as the “horrific” crash.

Both Hauste and Thomas were injured in the crash and hospitalized. Although Hauste’s injuries were minor, Thomas died a short time later at Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

“Hauste displayed obvious signs of intoxication” DeLoss said at the time.

SEE ORIGINAL RELATED STORY: SJ woman arrested after DUI crash sends Yucaipa man, 72, to hospital

After being treated for her minor injuries, Hauste was booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of driving under the influence and causing injuries. Online jail records at the time show she was released from jail the same day of her arrest after posting $50,000 bail.

In addition to the jail time and probation, the judge ordered Hauste, who had no prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County, to pay restitution to the victim’s family. The amount of her restitution has not yet been determined by the Department of Probation.

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Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.