The family of a 3-year-old boy killed in a crash involving an alleged drunk driver is raising concerns about the way the case has been handled so far.
The woman accused in the crash, Yarenit Malihan of Pleasanton, turned herself in Monday and remains in custody. She’s the wife of an Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy.
The crash that killed Elijah Dunn happened on Sept. 9 on the shoulder of Interstate 680 in San Ramon. The boy’s grandfather wants to know why it took so long for Malihan to be charged.
Chuck Manoiki says it’s been agonizing waiting for the gears of justice to kick into action. The crash that killed his grandson was not the only incident Malihan was involved in over the past year.
"The first one with her own 10-year-old daughter in the car, then she kills my grandson, and then she goes and gets arrested for public intoxication," Manoiki said. "I mean, what else is it going to take?"
Three months before Elijah was killed, Malihan was arrested for DUI and accused of reckless endangerment of her own child. Earlier this month, she was arrested wandering the streets in Pleasanton.
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Malihan was arraigned Tuesday on gross vehicular manslaughter and felony DUI charges in the I-680 crash. But Manoiki believes she should face more serious charges.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor in the case said it’s taken time for them to put together evidence for the charges because they want to make sure they have a solid case.
"We are making sure that we are making the right charging decisions as we proceed," a spokesman for the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said.
Manoiki says he remembers the last day he saw his grandson.
"I babysat him and my granddaughter the whole day," he recalled. "And when they went home, an hour later I get a phone call."
Malihan is being held on $3 million bond. Her next court date is June 16.
