"She should still be in prison": San Bernadino DA says deadly Parlier crash was preventable

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- 35-year-old Tiffany Mercado was successful handcuffs and a greenish jumpsuit erstwhile she appeared successful a Fresno County Courtroom aboriginal Friday morning.

This, her archetypal quality since she was arrested for driving intoxicated done a halt motion successful Parlier and sidesplitting 15-year-old Juliani Moreno earlier this week.

She pleaded not blameworthy to the added complaint of D-U-I that was tacked onto the different charges from the District's Attorney's Office.

This comes arsenic authorities uncover they judge Mercado was precocious from inhaling an aerial duster.

Mercado's extended transgression past dating backmost to 2011 successful Southern California was brought to the forefront wrong the courtroom.

Action News has learned Mercado was connected supervised parole astatine the clip of this deadly crash. The San Bernardino DA, Jason Anderson, tells Action News helium believes she shouldn't person been released arsenic she lone did astir 30% of the clip she was sentenced to for a convulsive robbery lawsuit dating backmost to 2024.

Anderson has prosecuted Mercado respective times and sent her to situation twice.

He believes this calamity was preventable, claiming she should've been down bars.

"She was sentenced successful April 2024 to 6 years successful prison. She didn't adjacent bash 2 years of it," says Anderson.

Back successful 2024, Mercado pleaded nary contention to second-degree robbery of a liquor store successful Fontana. But was released successful January of this twelvemonth and placed connected assemblage supervision.

The DA says this due to the fact that of section of correction's rules and recognition she earned from classes.

"Unfortunately, the insubstantial commitment, which, if she had done her full-time, she would've been successful custody and not been retired connected the streets up successful Fresno," says Anderson.

In court, caller revelations.

Prosecutors telling the justice Mercado was going up to 100 miles an hr erstwhile she ran done the intersection.

They besides revealed investigators recovered a fractional utilized aerial duster tin successful her trunk, they assertion she tried to fell it aft the crash.

"Inside of that tin is an intoxicating substance called difluoroethane, which is utilized for huffing oregon intoxicating," says Steve Ueltzen, Fresno County Persecutor.

Action News cameras captured the infinitesimal Mercado wobbled done a sobriety trial connected scene. Authorities accidental she did admit to huffing successful her past but denies she did that night.

Anderson, pointing the blasted present astatine the Department of Corrections, arguing this lawsuit is different illustration that their rules are excessively lenient.

"From our standpoint, we're angered due to the fact that we don't judge this idiosyncratic should've been escaped from custody and there's a outgo successful the information from each 1 of these lousy decisions that is made wrong CDCR," says Anderson.

We did scope retired to the Department of Corrections for remark but person not heard back.

If convicted of these caller charges, Mercado could beryllium facing 26 years successful prison.

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