The Hollister woman accused of killing a biker on Highway 156 on
the eve of the Fourth of July rally will appear in court next month
on felony DUI charges
Hollister – The brother of the biker killed on Highway 156 the day before the 2005 Hollister motorcycle rally is on a mission to raise awareness about drunk driving and hopes to curb its prevalence during next year’s festivities.
Richard Flores, 53, of Lompoc, was killed when 38-year-old Hollister resident Dolores Ortiz Garcia, who police say was drunk, allowed her 1993 Toyota Corolla to drift into oncoming traffic, colliding with Flores’ 2004 Harley Davidson head on, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The collision ejected Flores from his motorcycle, severing a leg. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Garcia is being charged with felony driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter. She is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 16 for a preliminary hearing.
Since the accident, Flores’ brother Darryl Munn has been in contact with Hollister Independence Rally Committee directors, local law enforcement and his state representatives in an attempt bring awareness to the problem of drunk driving. Over the three day rally weekend, 44 people were booked into the county jail for drunk driving.
“I’m not trying to blame the rally,” Munn said. “I’m trying to get the laws changed. I think they should be tougher than they are.”
Munn, who has never attended the event, said he hopes to come to the rally next year to get a feel for an event his brother was passionate about. In the process, he said he hopes to bring more of an awareness to drunk driving, although he hasn’t put together a detailed plan of what that might be yet.
“I just want to see what it’s (the rally) like,” he said. “My brother was an avid Harley Davidson rider. He died doing something he loved.”
As for Garcia, Munn believes she deserves the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“I forgive her. I can’t hold her in hatred, I can’t do that, I won’t do that,” he said. “But if she doesn’t get at least 10 (years), I’m going to be very upset. I forgive her, but she has to pay the price for killing someone. You can’t take someone’s brother, someone’s father, someone’s husband.”
Garcia’s attorney Greg La Forge said he’s hoping to reach some kind of resolution with the district attorney before his client has to go to court.
“She’s still devastated by the whole incident,” he said of his client, a life-long Hollister native. “She’d never been in trouble before in her life.”
