CEDAR CITY — Two people who were arrested following a high-speed car chase in March – during which an infant was a passenger – have each been sentenced in connection with the incident.
Hector Ruiz Godoy, 22, was sentenced Aug. 8 after pleading guilty to one count of failure to stop at command of police, a third-degree felony. Meanwhile, his codefendant Mary Mahuinga Danielle Niu, 20, pleaded guilty to a single count of reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor, and was permitted to enter a plea in abeyance on Monday.
Both cases were adjudicated separately by 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell.
As previously reported in St. George News / Cedar City News, Godoy and Niu were arrested March 14 after leading police on a car chase that started in Washington County and ended approximately 80 miles to the north, in Iron County, with speeds reportedly reaching 100 mph or more.
“When they were eventually stopped, there was a 5-month-old child in the car who was put in danger by this attempt to elude the police, Your Honor,” prosecutor Chase Troutner said Monday as he summarized the factual basis supporting the charge against Niu.
At Monday afternoon’s hearing, Niu’s guilty plea to a single count of reckless endangerment was held in abeyance, meaning the charge will be dismissed if she successfully fulfills the conditions associated with the agreement, including payment of $553 in fines and completion of a life skills course plus 100 hours of community service. Her next review date was scheduled for March 20, 2023 at 2 p.m.
“You should also know that if you’re not successful in complying with these terms, then your plea would go on record, after which you would be sentenced,” Bell told Niu during Monday’s hearing, which was conducted via videoconference. “For a class A misdemeanor, that includes up to the maximum of 364 days in jail, a $2,500 fine, plus the applicable surcharge and court security fee.”
Two weeks earlier, during Godoy’s sentencing hearing on Aug. 8, the court imposed a probation term of 36 months, to be supervised by Utah Adult Probation and Parole.
Bell also sentenced Godoy to 147 days in jail and gave him credit for the 147 days he’d already served, meaning Godoy was released from jail immediately following his sentencing. The prison term of 0-5 years that is typically associated with a third-degree felony charge was suspended, and the court also waived more than $9,000 in fines and fees, leaving Godoy to pay $53.
As part of the plea agreement, four other charges that had been filed against Godoy, all misdemeanors, were dismissed without prejudice. The four counts were reckless driving, reckless endangerment, possession or use of a controlled substance and driving without insurance.
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