BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A man accused of driving under the influence and killing two pedestrians last June in east Bakersfield was deemed incompetent on Wednesday to stand trial, according to Kern County Superior Court records.
Reginald Moland, 31, was ruled incompetent by a Kern County Superior Court judge. Moland has a hearing set next month regarding his medication, court records show.
Moland was charged last October with two counts of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and hit-and-run resulting in death. He pleaded not guilty last November.
On June 21, 2025, just after 6 p.m., at different intersections of Baker Street, Moland allegedly struck pedestrian Mario Hernandez Ortega, 40, and shortly later crashed into a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Luis Alfredo Garcia Lopez. Lopez died at the scene.
Ortega, the pedestrian, died the following day. Both men were identified in July 2025.
A Bakersfield police investigation revealed that Moland was traveling northbound on Baker Street when he struck the pedestrian at Sumner Street. He then continued northbound at a high rate of speed, failed to stop for a red light at the intersection of Niles Street, and crashed into a vehicle traveling westbound.
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Moland is due back in court on June 10, 2026, for a status hearing regarding his placement and medication.