Man sentenced after deadly marijuana DUI crash in Fresno County
Apr 04, 2025
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A man was sentenced to over a decade in prison after being accused of driving intoxicated and causing a DUI crash that took the life of a 20-year-old and injured four other people, the Fresno County District Attorney's Office said.
The DA's office says 30-year-
old Antonio de Jesus Orozco Montes Deoca of Fresno, was sentenced to 14 years and eight months in state prison for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of drugs, causing great bodily injury to four other victims.
30-year-old Antonio de Jesus Orozco Montes Deoca of Fresno (image courtesy of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office)
According to the DA's office, Deoca was driving on Highway 180 near Kerman on Sept. 17, 2022, when he crossed over the double-yellow median and onto oncoming traffic, crashing head-on into a vehicle driven by 20-year-old Sandy Orellana-Mendoza of Mendota. The vehicle was also occupied by four other women aged 14 to 22.
Despite life-saving measures, officials say Orellana-Mendoza succumbed to her injuries. The other occupants in the vehicle sustained serious injuries.
Upon further investigation, the California Highway Patrol says it was determined Decoa was severely impaired at the time of the crash. Blood testing revealed he had a substantial amount of marijuana in his system at the time.
Decoa was sentenced after his plea to the charges on March 6, the DA's office says. ...read more read less