Charges against a Mitchellville woman accused of driving while intoxicated have been upgraded after one of the pedestrians she struck before crashing into the front of an Adams Morgan restaurant died of her injuries. Twenty-three-year-old Chamica Adams was originally charged with aggravated assault and driving while intoxicated, but an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter was added on September 20th.
The US Attorney's Office for the District amended charges against Adams after twenty-six-year-old Julia Bachleitner died September 14th due to injuries sustained in the collision. Court documents indicate that Adams was traveling south on 18th Street NW at approximately 8:30 p.m when the accident occurred. She was turning onto Florida Avenue when her 2007 Dodge Charger "mounted" the center island of the road, colliding with two women waiting at the median to cross. Adams' vehicle continued on, colliding with a small tree before crashing into Keren Restaurant at 1780 Florida Avenue NW. The restaurant was unoccupied at the time of the accident. Court papers indicate that Adams had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit at the time of her arrest.
At an initial hearing in the case, a DC Superior Court judge released Adams from jail, ordered that she attend a "high-intensity supervision program," and forbade her from consuming any alcohol. The judge also imposed a longer than standard curfew on the 23-year-old woman, from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. instead of the usual 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. curfew. Adams had no prior convictions for Washington DC DUI charges. It was not disclosed whether she had assigned or been retained a Washington DC DUI Attorney to face the upgraded charges against her.
A preliminary hearing in the case was originally scheduled for September 28th, and it is not yet known if that has changed along with the number of charges against Adams.
This article is presented by The Law Office of David Benowitz, serving Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer and Virginia Criminal Defense Lawyers websites.
