A new trial date has been set in Santa Maria Superior Court for a Goleta woman accused of driving a bus while under the influence of methamphetamine when the vehicle veered off Highway 101 between Orcutt and Los Alamos last year.
Laura Mae Gish, 51, appeared before Judge Patricia Kelly on Wednesday for a brief hearing where plans for a Jan. 13 jury trial were scrapped.
Gish was arrested on Jan. 18, 2019, after the southbound Amtrak bus she was driving ran off the roadway and crashed near Los Alamos.
She was behind the wheel of a 2015 Volvo bus carrying some 25 passengers on Highway 101 in light traffic at about 5:30 a.m. when she allowed the vehicle to drift off the road and into a tree.
The bus came to rest on its side in a dirt culvert.
After a preliminary hearing last summer, Gish was ordered to stand trial on charges of driving under the influence of drugs causing injury, along with special allegations for causing bodily injury and injuring more than one person.
She also faces a misdemeanor charge of possessing a controlled substance.
Madison Whitmore is leading the prosecution team while Matthew Kraut has represented Gish.
The trial delay was requested to allow Kraut to pursue additional discovery.
Kelly and the attorneys on Wednesday agreed to return Feb. 19 for a trial-confirmation conference, with plans to start jury selection Feb. 24.
The trial is expected to require seven days.
In addition to the criminal case, civil lawsuits also have been filed against Gish and the bus company, AmericanStar Tours.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.