Follow Up: No Jail Time for DUI Driver Who Caused Power Outage?

The drunk driver who crashed her car into a major power pole on Las Virgenes Canyon Road on July 9 is unlikely to face jail time.

Police reports say Danielle Donatoni, 20, was driving from Malibu toward Agoura when she exited the road and sheared-off a power pole south of Lost Hills Road at around 5:15 a.m. The resulting power outage affected approximately 2000 homes.

Las Virgenes was closed both directions for hours as Southern California Edison repair crews extrated her 2002 Tyota Tundra from a tangle of power lines and installed new power poles.

Donatoni was cited for a DUI and taken to an area hospital. She was not taken into custody because her injuries required a hospital visit. If she had been taken into custody, then the department may have been liable for hospital costs.

“For a misdemeanor such as this if somebody is admitted into the hospital or goes to the hospital oftentimes we’ll just sign them out on their own recognizance. If they have proper ID and we know who they are, we’ll give them a ticket so we won’t have to incur all their hospital bills,” Detective Huelsen said to America Online.

Donatoni is also unlikely to face jail time for the misdemeanor. Generally, citations, fines, and possible probation is the sanction for general DUI offenses, according to the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station.

Additionally, Southern California Edison will charge her insurance company for all costs associated with the pole replacement, which will be about $15,000.