Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke announced today that on May 20, 2025, after a two-day trial, a jury found Cheryl Ann Porter guilty of Driving Under the Influence of a Drug. That same day after the jury returned the guilty verdict, the Honorable David C. Beyersdorf sentenced Ms. Porter to 3 years of formal probation, credit for time served, a $2142 fine, and a DUI class. Judge Beyersdorf declined to impose additional jail time or electronic home monitoring, citing the numerous mitigating circumstances in the case and referring to it as a “medication DUI.”
The conviction arose out of an incident that occurred on August 21, 2022, when the defendant got into an argument with her husband and went for a drive after the argument. Before doing so, the defendant took multiple pills and other medication. She was contacted by a Tuolumne County Sheriff deputy and suspected of being under the influence. The DUI investigation was conducted by the California Highway Patrol. A subsequent test of the defendant’s blood a few hours after the crash revealed she was under the influence of trazadone, methamphetamine, gabapentin, hydrocodone, and marijuana. As a result of her conviction Ms. Porter was advised about the dangerousness of driving while under the influence and that if she drives under the influence again and someone is killed, she can be charged with murder.
The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office continues to prosecute all forms of driving under the influence and believes that being under the influence of medications, as with alcohol, creates a significant danger to the public and to everyone on our roadways. DUI doesn’t just mean booze.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kevin Grasell.
