Suspect gives birth to a girl

Candice Ooley, the Clovis woman accused of killing a Lemoore man in a drunken-driving crash, has given birth to a girl.

Ooley, 23, gave birth in July at Madera Community Hospital, according to her attorney, Daniel Martin.

Ooley, was about six months pregnant, with a blood-alcohol level of .32, four times the legal limit, on May 20. That night her 2014 Chevrolet Cruze struck a 2007 Hummer in which Frederico Nunez Silva, 47, of Lemoore, was a passenger. Silva was killed.

According to Madera County District Attorney David A. Linn, Ooley had been in a fight with her boyfriend, when she decided to drink and drive.

A trial-setting for a previous drunken-driving arrest at Millerton Lake has been scheduled for next month. That arrest was made last year.

When she appeared for a hearing in that case Thursday in Madera County Superior Court, she was dressed in a green prison jumpsuit, with her hands restrained at her waists.

According to Ooley’s Martin, Ooley’s baby is living with Ooley’s mother. recently gave birth. While he is unsure of the date of birth, or name of the baby, Martin has stated that the child, a girl, is healthy, and is currently living with Ooley’s mother.

“The baby’s doing good,” Martin said. “Happy, healthy, so far as we know.”

Martin said he was unsure of the date of the baby’s birth or of its name.

According to Martin, Ooley on May 20 was driving to Yosemite Lakes Park in Coarsegold to visit her mother, but was not drunk. Martin has asked for more time to investigate evidence on the matter. “I asked for a continuance today based on some information I attained, that Miss Ooley was sober about 45 minutes before this incident,” Martin said. “And I have a potential witness, who my investigators are going to go speak with, and I’ve already had a discussion with her, and she reported to me, this witness, that Miss Ooley was at a convenience store about an hour before the accident, that she was highly distraught, but she was not intoxicated, so I’m following up on that lead.”

The convenience store, Martin said, was in North Fork. Martin’s theory is that Ooley consumed alcohol in the moments leading up to the crash, but was not legally drunk at the time of the accident, and that the alcohol took effect during the process of investigating the scene, and providing medical treatment.

This theory has been dismissed by Linn.

Martin confirmed that alcohol containers were found in Ooley’s vehicle.

Ooley was reportedly driving on a suspended license on the night of the accident, after she had been arrested for a previous DUI at Millerton Lake last June. Ooley was due to appear in court in Bass Lake shortly before the fatal crash, but failed to show up. According to Martin, Ooley missed her scheduled appearance in court because the summons was sent to the wrong address.

The Sept. 9 trial setting concerns this previous incident.

Currently, Ooley faces a charge of manslaughter with great bodily injury and enhancements.

Linn has also stated, however, that his office will push for murder charges if there is evidence that she knew the dangers of drinking and driving.

With her current charges, if convicted, Ooley could face no less than 15 years in state prison.