Manslaughter trail set for Stonyford man

Jury selection is set to begin March 22 for the trial of the Stonyford man charged in the 2007 drunken driving collision that resulted in the death of another Stonyford resident.

Levi Davis Gleason appeared Thursday in Glenn County Superior Court for a trial readiness conference surrounded by more than half a dozen family members.

Gleason, 23, pleaded not guilty in March 2009 to charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, diving under the influence causing great bodily injury and driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol level causing injury.

David Alexander, 27, of Stonyford, died Nov. 30, 2007, nearly two weeks after he was ejected from a pickup that rolled over on County Road 306, north of Elk Creek.

Alexander was initially believed to be the driver, but two of vehicle’s four occupants changed their statements in January 2008, authorities said.

The California Highway Patrol then sought charges against Gleason, but the Glenn County District Attorney Robert S. Holzapfel declined the case, claiming there was “insufficient evidence” to prosecute.

The state Attorney General’s office reopened the case the following month.

Abraham Arredondon, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s office, has said that Alexander’s family brought the case to the state after it was thrown out in Glenn County, but declined to comment further.

Gleason’s attorney, David Nelson, has said the case has been delayed several times to allow both sides time to review more than 700 pages of documents and evidence.

Barton Bowers, deputy attorney general, declined Thursday to comment on the case.
Gleason remains free on his own recognizance.

Glenn County Superior Court Judge Donald C. Byrd will preside over the scheduled four-day jury trial.