A woman accused of killing her nine-year-old niece in a horrific drunken driving crash has been released from jail without bail because prosecutors have not decided whether to file charges against her.
Christina Sorensen, 63, was allegedly driving a Corvette under the influence of alcohol in Las Vegas on Saturday when she ran a red light and crashed into a Jeep, according to police.
Sorensen’s niece, Sophia Sandoval, was in the passenger seat and died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of the crash, according to the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
Following Sorensen’s arrest at the scene of the two-car crash, Justice of the Peace Natalie Tyrrell originally set Sorensen’s bail at $100,000 with electronic monitoring, a drug patch requirement and an order for him not to drive.
But as prosecutors declined to formally charge Sorensen, his defense attorney, Ryan Helmick, argued that there was no justification for setting bail. And a judge agreed.
Christina Sorensen, pictured, appears in court after a serious car accident that killed her niece, Sophia Sandoval.
Sorensen’s niece, Sophia Sandoval, was in the Corvette when it crashed. She died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of the crash, according to the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
Pictured: The crash site. The black car still standing is Sorensen’s Corvette.
Police believe Sorensen was driving under the influence of drugs, but the results of her blood test will not be available for several months. That’s why prosecutors have declined to charge her.
“You will be released without those conditions, based on the fact that there are no charges and no case filed,” North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Kalani Hoo told Sorensen in court Thursday.
Before the decision was made, Deputy District Attorney Megan Thomson asked the judge to uphold the bail conditions and allow prosecutors 120 days to file charges. Las Vegas Review Journal reported.
“This matter remains under investigation,” the Clark County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
“Authorities have not received the final toxicology analysis of Ms. Sorensen’s blood, which is necessary to determine what substances, if any, were present. Accordingly, the District Attorney’s Office is unable to file a criminal complaint at this time,” the statement continued.
The prosecutor’s office added that police are not expecting toxicology results from the out-of-state lab where Sorensen’s blood was sent for “several months.”
Sorensen worked at Posare Salon in Las Vegas. A co-worker told FOX 5 Las Vegas that Sorensen’s niece was at the salon before the crash getting a haircut. She apparently wanted to take Sorensen’s Corvette for a spin.
Immediately after the accident, Sorensen consented to having his blood drawn.
And although a breath test showed he had not been drinking alcohol, police said, he failed multiple field sobriety tests.
This is what gave them probable cause to arrest her, suspecting her of “driving under the influence of narcotics,” according to an arrest report.
Sorensen, who worked as a cosmetologist at Posare Salon, will be free without any conditions until the district attorney charges her with a crime.
One of her coworkers at Posare Salon told her FOX 5 Vegas that Sorensen’s niece Sophia had been at the salon on the day of the accident to get her hair cut.
“The girl had come to get her hair cut and was with her father, 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, he faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death, reckless driving resulting in death and child abuse or neglect.
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