The following is a press from the Mendocino County District Attorney:
A Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned to court from its deliberations late Wednesday afternoon to announce it had found the trial defendant guilty.
Defendant Megan Autumn Brazil, age 41, of Fortuna, was found guilty of misdemeanor driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, the crime having taken place this past April on Highway 101 just north of Reeves Canyon.
At a hearing prior in time to the trial, the defendant also admitted possession of methamphetamine and possession of illegal drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.
Such partial pretrial admissions are normally entered in a defense effort to keep the trial jurors from learning about the illegal drug possession.
The law enforcement agencies that developed the evidence necessary to convict defendant Brazil beyond a reasonable doubt were the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Justice forensic laboratory.
The prosecutor who presented the People’s evidence to the jury was Deputy District Attorney Carlo Sosa. As an aside, this was Carlo’s first jury trial. Your hours of preparation paid off, Carlo. Congratulations.
Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Patrick Pekin presided over the three-day trial.
