In conclusion
A system that lacks public tracking, has few protections, and is subject to growing calls for reform has allowed a number of local drivers to regain their licenses despite having felony convictions in fatal crashes.
Greetings and welcome to License to Kill, an investigative series about California’s policy of allowing hazardous drivers to continue operating a vehicle.To receive more behind-the-scenes details from our reporting and to be informed when the next article is out, subscribe to our License to Kill newsletter.
The Press Democrat, working with CalMatters, conducted a months-long investigation that led to this story.
A peaceful Monday in October 2019 found Kellie Nora Michelle sleeping in her van on Hoen Avenue in Santa Rosa with her dog curled up next to her. The van was their lone place of safety together.
The automobile never appeared to her.
Angel Ivan Martinez, intoxicated, drove a Dodge Charger around a bend on the two-lane street at 90 mph in a 35 mph zone. He struck Michelle’s parked van so hard that it slammed into a power pole, then a tree, and finally another automobile. Like shrapnel, the wreckage spread out over the block.
Santa Rosa police Sgt. Patricia Seffens, who had arrived that morning as a patrol officer, remarked, “I remember it being a horrific scene.” The swath of debris was so vast.
Michelle died suddenly, as did her dog. She was a 50-year-old woman who had graduated from Rancho County High School and was originally from Sonoma County. She battled mental health disorders, addiction, and periods of homelessness, but her friends and relatives characterized her as intelligent and free-spirited. She opted to sleep in her van in order to accommodate her dog, who didn’t get along with another pet inside, even though she was renting a place nearby at the time.
Martinez lost his license. In August 2020, he entered a no contest plea to DUI and felony vehicular manslaughter.
The state then returned his license four years later.
Martinez received a new California driver’s license in 2023, despite having killed someone and subsequently been arrested for driving without a license and providing a false name to the authorities. It is good till 2027.
He’s not an anomaly.
A system designed to restart
California regularly restores driver’s licenses to those convicted of killing someone while driving, frequently while intoxicated, speeding, or escaping the scene, according to a months-long investigation conducted by The Press Democrat in collaboration with CalMatters.
Data obtained by The Press Democrat and CalMatters shows that since 2019, at least 47 persons have been charged with vehicular manslaughter in Sonoma County alone. Martinez is one of at least three who have already returned to driving after being found guilty of felonies and losing their licenses. Others might come shortly.
In nearby Napa, Mendocino, and Lake counties, similar cases have surfaced.
Everything is lawful. It’s taking place in silence. The state doesn’t keep track of it either.
Following a revocation term that normally lasts three years, California permits the majority of drivers convicted in fatal collisions—especially those involving alcohol, drugs, or extreme recklessness—to reapply for a license. Even before their criminal charges are settled, some of them keep driving.
Revocation-affected drivers have the option to contest the Department of Motor Vehicles’ decision, but they have to take action within a few days of being informed. If not, they will have to wait out the revocation term, reapply after passing exams, paying fees, and sometimes finishing rehabilitation classes.
By the numbers
Analysis of ACalMattersNearly 40% of Californians who had been charged with vehicular manslaughter since 2019 still had valid licenses, even those who had previously been convicted of the crime, according to data released this spring.
RELATED STORY
License to Kill
Dangerous drivers with horrific pasts are frequently permitted to continue operating on our roads by the California DMV. They go on to kill far too frequently. Many continue to drive after killing someone. Some continue to commit murder.
The next stage was for the Press Democrat to find North Bay drivers who were able to resume driving after being convicted of felonies.
According to DMV data, these include:
- A Granite Bay man who killed an 8-month-old child in a multi-car crash on Lakeville Highway near Petaluma in 2018, at the age of 18.
- A Santa Rosa man convicted in 2020 for a fatal hit-and-run on Highway 12.
- A Mendocino County man convicted in a fiery crash that killed his passenger in August 2020 on Highway 101 in Ukiah.
An examination of the available data revealed no discernible trends in convictions or license reinstatements by gender, income, or race.
The Press Democrat examined dozens of vehicular manslaughter cases from late 2018 through early 2025 in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, and Lake counties because the state does not keep track of how frequently driver’s licenses are reissued following deadly incidents. With over 50 cases, Sonoma County has by far the most, compared to the other counties’ roughly 20.
Cases were selected for this report based on the following criteria: they had to be older enough that revocation periods might have ended, resulted in convictions, and had available court and DMV information. There was no way to do an exhaustive accounting.
Out of 106 cases compiled by The Press Democrat and CalMatters, DMV records show that at least eight drivers involved in fatal crashes before 2020 have had their licenses reissued, including four in Sonoma County and two each in Napa and Mendocino counties. As early as April 2023, a few were able to reclaim their licenses.
The DMV withholds information about the frequency of reinstatement denials and permanent revocations, which are more frequent in cases involving vehicular murder. Requests for that information were not answered by the agency.
Chris Orrock, a DMV spokesperson, previously told CalMatters that drivers must be given a path to regain their licenses and that the agency has no process for revoking them permanently.
No way to justify it
Matthew Swoyer had a clear memory of the Lakeville Highway collision in 2018.
He was driving home to Fairfield when a Volkswagen Jetta crossed into oncoming traffic outside Petaluma and struck a Ford Explorer carrying a mother, her baby and several other children. Swoyer’s automobile was struck by the Jetta after it spun out.
I recall a group of people stopping as I got out. Pure chaos, said Swoyer, now 32 and living in Dixon.
He had to crawl out through the passenger door. They slaughtered the infant girl. Six others, including Swoyer, were hurt. Other motorists pulled over to help.
The Jetta s driver, Ryan Deloye, faced multiple charges vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving, cellphone use, and alcohol and cannabis violations. He pleaded no contest in 2020. His license was restored in April 2023. A month later, a red-light camera caught him failing to stop in Sacramento County. DMV records did not show any other violations.
Swoyer had followed Deloye s court case but didn t know he d gotten his license back.
One hundred percent he should never be allowed to drive again, Swoyer said. What he was doing was absolutely outrageous. There s no way to justify that he was just being a kid.
Lawmakers respond
State lawmakers are now weighing changes.
Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Lori Wilson told The Press Democrat she plans to introduce legislation requiring license revocations to be consecutive not concurrent with jail or prison sentences. That would mean a convicted driver serves time before the clock starts on losing driving privileges.
Part of that learning your lesson, so to speak, and being held accountable and experiencing consequences is that you should be able to drive, Wilson said. Every day that you want to go somewhere, you have the burden of using public transit or relying on someone willing to give you a ride.
Wilson said she expects to introduce the bill next year.CalMatters reporting, she added, helped expose gaps in a policy that hasn t been updated in years.
It s ineffective because it s not being followed, she said.
Related story
7 takeaways: How the DMV allows dangerous drivers to stay on the road
Wilson noted that manslaughter, unlike murder, is considered less malicious under the law. She said she believes some people should be allowed to earn back their licenses after meaningful rehabilitation.
Should they pay forever for that mistake? she said. If they re properly rehabilitated, they now understand the weight of that brief decision.
The DMV does not track how often it reinstates licenses after fatal crashes. In a written statement to The Press Democrat, the department said its action are controlled by statute, citing state laws that require revocation for certain convictions but allow reinstatement later.
The agency also has discretion to suspend or revoke licenses after fatal collisions, but it does not report how often it uses that power.
In practice, the DMV and courts operate on separate tracks. A judge might impose jail time or probation, but the DMV s countdown to reinstatement hinges on when it s notified of a conviction. CalMatters recently found courts across California have oftenfailed to report convictions to the DMV in a timely manner.
The result: a system that routinely returns licenses to drivers whose decisions once proved deadly.
The next wave
Dozens of vehicular manslaughter cases remain pending in North Bay courts. DMV records for recent convictions aren t always updated. And defense attorneys often argue the charges don t reflect their clients typical driving behavior.
In Petaluma, 79-year-old Beverly Klevin was killed Feb. 1, 2024, when another car struck her on Lakeville Highway. Her family later reached a $650,000 settlement with the city, alleging the road was unsafe.
The other driver, Samir Bhumbla, has pleaded not guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. His attorney says Bhumbla has maintained safe driving habits and still holds a valid license.
In another pending case, 75-year-old Linda Cathleen Johnson, of Sebastopol, is accused of killing Novato resident Lemuel Rodas Diaz, 53, in a suspected DUI crash in December 2023 near Roblar and Stony Point roads. Johnson suffered serious injuries. Her attorney says she voluntarily surrendered her license and hasn t driven since.
And in Napa, 31-year-old resident Yesica Barajas is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter in the March 16 crash that killed her children, 10-year-old Damian and 9-year-old Aaliyah. Her attorney sought her release pending trial, but a judge denied it.
More drivers in these cases could someday reapply for licenses under current state rules.
A flashpoint for reform?
Advocates remain divided.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving told The Press Democrat that drivers who kill while impaired should face far steeper penalties, including lifetime revocation.
If a person adjudicated for a fatal impaired driving crash is found guilty, that offender should face a significant, if not lifetime, license revocation after they are released from incarceration, the group said.
Others argue license restoration offers a path back to society, especially when a fatal crash results a moment of negligence rather than a pattern of reckless behavior.
Still, even after convictions, some drivers continue breaking the rules of the road in ways both brazen, like driving without a license, and mundane, like rolling through a stop.
In Mendocino County, for example, Kyle Pinckney pleaded no contest in April 2023 to charges from a 2021 Fort Bragg crash that killed his passenger. Months later, he was cited for driving without a valid license. DMV records show he was issued a new license in April 2024, valid through 2029.
Back on Hoen Avenue in Santa Rosa, traffic still hums past the curve just before Cypress Way the same stretch where Kellie Michelle s life ended before the sun came up.
The speed limit sign still reads 35 mph.
And Angel Ivan Martinez is driving again.
You can reach Press Democrat Staff Writer Colin Atagi at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi.
This story is the result of a monthslong investigation by The Press Democrat in partnership with CalMatters. Reporter Colin Atagi reviewed more than 100 fatal crash cases across Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties dating back to late 2018.
Atagi reviewed court records, DMV data and Press Democrat archives to identify drivers who faced criminal charges and in many cases, regained their licenses.
The dataset was narrowed to cases with accessible documentation, completed convictions and enough time passed to assess whether license reinstatement had occurred.
The Press Democrat also sought comment from crash survivors, victims families, defense attorneys, prosecutors, state officials and advocates. Some declined to comment or did not respond.
The California DMV does not track how often it reinstates licenses after fatal crashes. Agencies cited in this story were contacted for clarification and comment.
Read THE SERIES
They were convicted of killing with their cars. No one told the California DMV
License to Kill
7 takeaways: How the DMV allows dangerous drivers to stay on the road
Read more from CalMatters
Text
Get breaking news on your phone.
Download
Keep up with the latest via our app.
Sign up
Receive free updates in your inbox.
Safeguard independent news for California s future
For 10 years, CalMatters has informed millions of Californians and kept our government and special interests in check.
- We report what s happening.
- We ask the hard questions.
- We make our government transparent to Californians.
Right now, every donation is matched dollar-for-dollar. Please make today the day you support CalMatters.
Without independent, relentless reporting, accountability slips:
- People lose visibility into decisions that shape their future.
- Misinformation and special interests gain more ground.
- Public trust erodes.
Don t let that happen. Give today to safeguard independent and fearless CalMatters journalism.
Give today, because the news can t wait.
