Woman who drove with pedestrian in windshield is charged with vehicular manslaughter while drunk

An Oceanside woman was charged Wednesday with gross vehicular manslaughter while drunk after she plowed into a pedestrian and then drove a mile with his body lodged in the passenger seat, according to prosecutors.

Along with manslaughter, Esteysi Sanchez also faces charges for hit and run resulting in death, driving under the influence and driving without a license, according to a San Diego County criminal complaint. The complaint alleges Sanchez’s blood alcohol level was .15% or higher — nearly twice the legal limit.

Sanchez, 29, is being held in lieu of $1.5 million bail. On Wednesday, she was ordered to wear an alcohol and location monitoring bracelet if she is released on bail.

The victim, Jack Ray Tenhulzen, was walking along a sidewalk before 6:30 a.m. Monday when he was struck, authorities said.

After the crash, Sanchez drove about a mile down the road, parked haphazardly in a residential neighborhood in Oceanside and walked home. Her boyfriend called police and Sanchez was arrested about an hour later, officials said.

According to police, the force of the collision caused the victim to smash through the windshield and come to a rest in the front passenger seat.

Sanchez, an Oceanside resident, does not have a driver’s license, according to DMV records. She applied for one in March 2015 but the process was not completed.

Witnesses told KNSD that the man was on the sidewalk and the car jumped the curb and hit him. They told the station that one of his legs was ripped from his body and landed on the trunk of her car.

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“There’s no words to really describe it. I mean, just seeing that up close and personal, it’s kind of traumatizing in a way,” witness Edwin Esparza told KNSD.

The victim was described as a known transient in his 60s, whose listed address was a local soup kitchen, officials said.

His shoes, wallet, keys and ID — as well as parts of the shattered windshield — were found where he was hit. Paramedics pronounced him dead where the car was found.

If convicted of the charges, Sanchez faces up to 15 years and six months in prison.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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