Fury as ‘drunk driving’ aunt ‘who killed her nine-year-old niece in horror smash’ is released from jail WITHOUT bail conditions due to a technicality
A woman accused of killing her nine-year-old niece in a horrific drunk and drug-impaired crash has been released from jail without any bail conditions. The prosecution has not yet decided whether to press charges against her.
Police say Christina Sorensen, 63, was driving a Corvette in Las Vegas on Saturday under the influence of alcohol when she ran a red light and crashed into a Jeep.
According to the Clark County coroner’s office, Sorensen’s niece, Sophia Sandoval, was in the passenger seat and died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of the crash.
After Sorensen was arrested at the scene of the crash, Justice of the Peace Natalie Tyrrell initially set Sorensen’s bail at $100,000, with electronic monitoring, a requirement to wear a bandage on her face, and a driving ban.
But since prosecutors have declined to formally charge Sorensen, her defense attorney Ryan Helmick argued there was no justification for setting bail. And a judge agreed.
Christina Sorensen, pictured, appears in court after being involved in a serious car crash that killed her niece, Sophia Sandoval
Sophia Sandoval, Sorensen’s niece, was in the Corvette when it crashed. She died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of the crash, the Clark County Coroner’s Office said.
Pictured: The crash scene. The black car still upright is Sorensen’s Corvette
Police believe Sorensen was driving under the influence of narcotics, but her blood results won’t be back for months, which is why the prosecution has declined to charge her
“You are being released without those conditions being met based on the fact that no charges have been filed or no trial has been served,” Kalani Hoo, chief justice of the North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace, told Sorensen in court Thursday.
Before the decision was made, Deputy District Attorney Megan Thomson had asked the judge to maintain the bail conditions and give prosecutors 120 days to file charges. Las Vegas Review Magazine reported.
“This matter remains under investigation,” the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
“Law enforcement has not yet received the final toxicology analysis of Ms. Sorensen’s blood, which is necessary to determine what substances, if any, were present. Therefore, the Attorney General’s Office cannot file criminal charges at this time,” the statement continued.
The prosecutor added that police do not expect toxicology results from the out-of-state lab where Sorensen’s blood was sent “several months.”
Sorensen worked at Posare Salon in Las Vegas. A coworker told FOX 5 Las Vegas that Sorensen’s niece was at the salon getting her hair cut before the crash. She reportedly wanted to go for a ride in Sorensen’s Corvette
Immediately after the crash, Sorensen agreed to a blood draw.
Although a breath test showed she had not consumed alcohol, she failed several alcohol tests, police said.
This was the reason for them to arrest her. According to the arrest report, they suspected that she was ‘driving under the influence of narcotics’.
Sorensen, who worked as a beautician at Posare Salon, will remain free without parole until prosecutors actually charge her with a crime.
One of her colleagues at Posare Salon told FOX 5 Vegas that Sorensen’s cousin Sophia had gone to the hairdresser to get her hair cut on the day of the accident.
“The little girl had come in to get her hair cut and she was with her daddy. But she wanted to ride in Christina’s Corvette,” Jayceon Jefferson said.
Sorensen’s next hearing is scheduled for December 10.
According to court documents, she is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, reckless driving and child abuse or neglect.