Police Say Carlsbad Woman Accused of Fatal Hit-and-Run Had 3 Times the Legal Blood-Alcohol Limit

Carlsbad resident , 23, pleaded not guilty Thursday to gross vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run and drunken driving charges. The 23-year-old is accused of hitting a bicyclist and fleeing from the scene near the intersection of El Camino Real and Cassia Street in Carlsbad, July 27 around 9:45 p.m.  Arriving emergency personnel pronounced 64-year-old Arthur John Jacobs of Vista dead at the scene.  

Thomson was ordered held on $200,000 bail. She had been out of custody on $100,000 bail, but Judge Marshall Hockett doubled the amount – saying the defendant was a danger – and she was taken back to jail.

The defendant faces 15 years in state prison if convicted of the three felony charges, said Deputy District Attorney Aimee McLeod.

McLeod said Thomson was found shortly after the fatal hit-and-run in an apartment complex. 

The defendant's blood-alcohol level was measured at .25 percent, more than three times the legal limit for driving, the prosecutor said.

Hockett set a readiness conference for Aug. 12 and a preliminary hearing for Aug. 17.