Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Bail Set at $1M for Alleged Drunk Driver

A Santa Ana man who allegedly killed a 20-year-old nursing student with his vehicle Sunday night has had his bail set at $1 million.

Takayuki Saito, 41, surrendered his Japanese passport in a Santa Ana courtroom Tuesday when prosecutors argued he posed a flight risk.

Saito appeared in court to enter a plea stemming from the death of Kaydee Campbell, who had stopped on the freeway to assist a crash victim.

A nursing student at St. Francis University in Indiana, Campbell, the daughter of Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Craig Campbell,
was home for Christmas break when she was struck by the vehicle.

Arraignment on two felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence causing bodily injury was postponed until Jan. 14. Saito also faces a sentencing enhancement for great bodily injury.

Campbell, who had attended Rancho Santa Margarita High School, was allegedly struck by a 1992 black Toyota 4-Runner driven by Saito near the Red Hill Avenue off-ramp of the northbound Santa Ana (5) Freeway in Tustin.

A 16-year-old girl who was involved in a prior crash that Campbell stopped to assist remained in serious condition as of today.

Saito reportedly has several previous citations, including one for evading police, but the majority were for items like driving without lights in the dark and failure to obey traffic signs.

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