Sentencing rescheduled for defendant in wrong-way collision

A wrong-way driver charged with killing a Yuba City woman on the 10th Street Bridge in June will have to wait until the new year to find out his sentence.

John Xiong, 30, of Olivehurst was scheduled to be sentenced on Monday but his attorney asked the judge for more time to review the pre-sentencing report.

Deputy District Attorney John Vacek said Xiong’s attorney was granted additional time to file a statement of mitigation on behalf of Xiong, which basically outlines why he feels his client should receive a more lenient sentence.

On June 21, Xiong drove over the 10th Street Bridge in the wrong lane before crashing into a vehicle driven by Trysha Graff, 29. The collision killed Graff and hospitalized her passenger – Pablo Gutierrez – who suffered serious injuries, according to Appeal-democrat archives.

Xiong was also hospitalized following the fatal collision. His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.192 – more than two times the legal limit – according to court documents. He was released from the hospital and arrested on Aug. 16.

On Nov. 7, Xiong pleaded no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter and admitted to driving under the influence with a special allegation for great bodily injury for his involvement in the June incident.

He faces a maximum prison sentence of 11 years and eight months. He is set to return to the Yuba County Superior Courthouse on Jan. 14 for sentencing.