A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge on Friday reinstated bail, along adding several conditions, for a woman arrested in connection with a fatal crash west of Lompoc last fall.
Judge Rogelio Flores agreed to reinstate bail at $150,000 for Spring Morrissey, 32, according to Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Savrnoch.
Morrissey was charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with gross negligence in connection with a fatal head-on collision on West Ocean Avenue (Highway 246) near Douglass Avenue on Oct. 13.
She allegedly was driving in the wrong lane on the two-lane road.
Morrissey also faces a charge of driving under the influence causing injury, with a special allegation of causing great bodily injury.
The driver of the other car in the collision, Victoria Levinson, 62, of Santa Maria, died hours later at a local hospital.
Test results received weeks later allegedly revealed Morrissey had methamphetamine in her system the night of the crash.
While free on bail last year, Morrissey refused to to submit to a drug-testing order. As a result, the judge ordered her sent back to Santa Barbara County Jail.
Authorities also discovered she had been living in the riverbed and not at the residence she claimed upon her release.
On Friday, Savrnoch argued for a higher bail, of $250,000 along with drug testing, while defense attorney Sara Elturk sought the original bail of $150,000 plus drug testing.
The judge ordered that Morrissey must submit to search and seizure requirements, live at the residence she originally claimed, attend daily Narcotics Anonymous meetings and enroll in the Lompoc Recovery Center.
Morrissey also will be required to wear an electronic alcohol-monitoring device if she is released.
In addition to the bail hearing, the attorneys also argued over the release of medical records, with Flores choosing to privately review some of the documents before ruling whether to release them to the prosecution team.
The case returns to court Feb. 7.
Meanwhile, the city of Lompoc’s attorney on Jan, 25 filed a motion seeking a summary judgment in the city’s favor in the federal lawsuit filed by Morrissey and Jari Blake.
The women claim Lompoc police invaded their privacy and conducted an illegal search when officers entered their home in April 2014.
In its response, the city’s attorneys from the El Segundo-based Aleshire and Wynder LLP law firm said the case stems from a follow-up to a check forgery report with Blake as the victim.
Officers said they entered the home after arriving to find the door open.
But in the motion for summary judgment, the city’s attorney, June Ailin said the claim lacks merit because there is no evidence of an unconstitutional policy, custom or practice regarding search and seizure or harassment of the public.
The motion in the federal case is set to be heard March 14 in Los Angeles.
— 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.