New details emerge as Arroyo Grande woman enters plea in deadly Hwy. 227 crash
An Arroyo Grande woman accused of murder for an alleged DUI-related crash will be held in San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail, a Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday at the woman’s first court appearance.
Chelsea AnnMarie Stiles appeared in court Tuesday bruised and in a wheelchair after sustaining injuries in the Dec. 1 crash on Highway 227 that killed 72-year-old Terry Tilton of San Luis Obispo.
She pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, as well as to other charges including a lesser offense of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence of drugs, hit-and-run resulting in death or injury, willful harm to a child, animal cruelty, and misdemeanor possession of cocaine.
If convicted of the murder charge, Stiles could face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Stiles stared up at the ceiling in court Tuesday as the charges were read before entering her pleas. She has hired a private attorney, Steven Crawford of Grover Beach, who declined to comment on the case following the hearing.
A warning in family court
The CHP says Stiles was driving a 2005 GMC north on Highway 227 south of Patchett Road in San Luis Obispo at about 6 p.m. Sunday as Tilton drove a 2013 Honda south.
For reasons unknown, Stiles’ GMC traveled into the southbound lane and collided head-on with the Honda, according to the news release. Tilton was pronounced dead at the scene.
Stiles suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, along with an 18-month-old girl who received minor injuries.
The girl was a passenger in Stiles’ car, the CHP said, and her initials and age match that of Stiles’ daughter, for whom she filed for parental custody in July, court records show.
About a week before she applied for custody, the father of the young girl filed for a domestic violence protective order against Stiles, warning that he was worried about his daughter’s safety due to Stiles’ “erratic” behavior.
“She has been not allowing me to see my daughter, and when I do see her, she starts yelling and arguing, and acting erratic, and drives off in a rage, which makes me very concerned for our daughter’s safety,” the July 12 request for the order reads.
According to court records, a court commissioner approved the protective order July 12, but vacated the order July 31 after the father did not appear at a court hearing.
Records show Stiles applied for legal custody of the child July 16, and that family law case is ongoing.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the District Attorney’s Office on Monday, a dog in the vehicle was also injured in the crash.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Superior Court Judge Dodie Harman also issued a protective order prohibiting contact between Stiles and the 18-month-old child, according to court records.
Stiles was booked into County Jail on Thursday after her treatment at the hospital. Harman ordered she continue to be held in custody there without bail.
She is due back in court Jan. 7.
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 1:33 PM.
