SoCal resident was watching porn when she caused fatal crash in Utah, prosecutors say
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Set us as preferred A California woman opened a porn site on her phone minutes before causing a deadly multicar crash on a Utah highway, authorites said this week.Christine Chao of Rosemead was driving a blue Toyota Matrix on Interstate 15 south of Salt Lake City around 2 p.m.
June 12 when she opened a website “commonly used to view pornographic videos,” police learned after searching her phone, according to the charging document filed in Juab County Justice Court.Traffic was slowed down because of construction, and she hit a Mazda 3 that then hit a Buick Enclave in front of it, prosecutors allege.
A passenger in the car she hit was in critical condition when officers arrived and subsequently died, according to court records.Police found no brake marks that would have indicated she had tried to stop before crashing, according to the records.
Chao, 44, admitted to officers that she had caused the accident, according to court records.Police got a warrant to search her phone and found that she had opened a pornographic website less than two minutes before the crash.
She was not arrested at the scene, Utah Highway Patrol spokesperson Zachary Randall said in an email.Chao was charged with text message or email automobile homicide Tuesday after the investigation into the crash was finished.
Her next court date is scheduled for Nov.17, prosecutors said.
The victim was Scott LaVar Lichfield, 66, Randall said.He lived in Fillmore, Utah, with his wife and “loved and adored” playing Santa Claus, according to his obituary.
“We will miss this dear, sweet, kind, friendly man,” the obituary read.“Everyone was a friend to him.”The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
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