BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A man faces over six years in prison after being convicted of driving under the influence and hitting a person in Arvin back in 2024.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said on February 6, 2026, a Kern County jury found Javier Parra Lopez guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, driving with 0.08 percent blood alcohol causing injury, and failing to perform duty following accident.
The jury found the additional allegations true that Parra Lopez caused great bodily injury to the pedestrian whom Parra Lopez struck with his vehicle.
The DA’s office said on August 11, 2024, at around 2:06 a.m., Parra Lopez was driving northbound on S. Comanche Drive in Arvin when his vehicle hit a pedestrian who was wearing a reflective vest and pushing a grocery cart with a light attached to it.
The pedestrian suffered lacerations to his head and broken legs which required surgery.
According to the DA’s office, Parra Lopez drove away from the scene and drove to his house, two blocks away. When officers from the Arvin Police Department arrived at Parra Lopez’s house, Parra Lopez told officers that he knew they were there because he had hit someone with his vehicle.
The DA’s office said Parra Lopez admitted to drinking prior to the incident and told officers he left the scene because he was scared of getting a DUI. Officers observed that Parra Lopez had red and watery eyes, slurred speech, smelled of alcohol, and performed poorly on Field Sobriety Tests. An evidentiary breath test (breathalyzer) showed that Parra Lopez had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.11%, a concentration over the legal limit.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented by saying, “Driving under the influence is a selfish decision that is not only a violation of the law, but a reckless act that causes lasting, often irreversible harm to innocent individuals.”
Parra Lopez’s sentencing is set for March 10, 2026, where he faces up to six years and eight months in prison.