Two Cyclists Cling to Life; Teen Accused of DUI

[michelem]

Glad she's been taken back into custody:

http://www.news10.net/news/local/sto...=45614&catid=2

July 30, 2008
PLACERVILLE, CA - A 19-year-old woman suspected of drunk driving when she hit two cyclists in El Dorado Hills last month is back in jail, her bail increased at her Tuesday arraignment.

Brandi Thomas had been out on bail since her initial booking on the drunk driving charges. At her Placerville arraignment, however, Thomas was taken back into custody when the judge increased her bail from $35,000 to $100,000.

Thomas is charged with hitting two women on bicycles while they rode northbound on El Dorado Hills Boulevard on the morning of June 18. Both Kathi Sturgeon, 48, and Kathy Hurd, 43, were severely injured.

Sturgeon suffered a traumatic brain injury and is continuing to be cared for at an acute rehabilitation center, according to friends.

Hurd, whose injuries included a fractured back and broken clavicle, was hospitalized nine days. She remains on pain medication and still cannot drive a car, according to her friend, Debby Stone.

Sturgeon and Hurd are members of the Bodacious Biking Babes cycling team, a women's group that bikes in various charity events. At the time of the crash, they were training for a 200-mile ride over two days in July from Seattle to Portland.

Thomas, also of El Dorado Hills, was formally charged with two counts of felony DUI with great bodily injury and two counts of felony DUI with a blood alcohol level above .08. She also faces enhancements of causing bodily injury and driving without insurance.

Her preliminary hearing is set for August 5.