A 97-year-old man self-surrendered to Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police at the agency's operations building on Los Gatos Boulevard earlier this month after being wanted by authorities for a vehicle code violation and running from the scene of an accident which caused injuries.
According to a police report, Gerald Roy Mahan, 97, walked into the facility the afternoon of Oct. 3 and turned himself in after being sought on an outstanding warrant for driving without a license and hit-and-run accident with an injury, said Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police Sgt. spokesman Kerry Harris.
The warrant was issued by the Palo Alto Police Department, and Mahan was cited and released after officers reviewed his $3,000 bail warrant, Harris said.
According to the California Vehicle Code, a hit-and-run is usually a misdemeanor, and a person who fails to stop at the scene of an accident can be punished by imprisonment in the state prison, or in a county jail, for not more than one year; or by a fine of not less than $1,000, nor more than $10,000; or by both imprisonment and fine .
If a hit-and-run results in death or permanent, serious injury, the responsible driver can be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years; or in a county jail for not less than 90 days, nor more than one year; or by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars $1,000 nor more than $10,000; or by both that imprisonment and fine.
However, the court, in the interests of justice, may reduce or eliminate the minimum imprisonment.
