Charges of vehicular homicide and possession of cocaine were filed today against Mary Jane Rivas, who is accused of crashing her SUV into a Seattle police patrol car and killing Seattle Police Officer Joselito Barber early last Sunday morning in Seattle.

Investigators have estimated that the defendant was traveling at 80 miles-per-hour when she drove through a red light and slammed into the police patrol car at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Yesler Way. Rivas, 31, is also accused of being under the influence of cocaine at the time of the crash.

King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng said it was a horrific crash caused by a defendant with a long criminal history. Based on the charges filed today and the defendant's criminal history, Rivas faces a standard sentence range of 129 to 171 months in prison.

However, Maleng said his office will seek an exceptional sentence above the standard range based on an aggravating factor of "rapid recidivism," because Rivas had only been out of prison for ten days before she re-offended.

"We believe that the standard sentence range is insufficient in this case. We will ask for a sentence that reflects the outrageous recklessness of the act and the enormity of the loss of this young officer," Maleng said. Barber, 26, had been with the Seattle Police Department for about six months.

The defendant is being held in the King County Jail on $1 million bail pending arraignment on August 28 in the King County Courthouse at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 1201.

For more information, also see: Rivas Vehicular Homicide--the Death of Officer Joselite Barber, Statement of King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng

Dated: August 18, 2006