BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The trial of Alan Booth, accused of driving drunk and hitting multiple people at the 2023 Bakersfield Christmas Parade, was postponed Monday to late June after his defense attorney failed to appear in court and neither court staff nor the prosecutor could reach him.
Judge John W. Lua noted no one knew where Jeremy Brehmer was or how to locate him. Shortly after 11:30 a.m. the judge found he had failed to appear, “which is very concerning to this court.”
Lua gave Booth — who also said he hadn’t heard from Brehmer — three options: stick with Brehmer; hire another attorney; or accept representation from the Public Defender’s Office.
After contemplating going with a public defender, Booth decided to keep Brehmer, saying he’d already paid a “considerable amount of money” and hoped to still go to trial soon. It would take months for an attorney newly assigned to the case to prepare.
Prosecutor Brandon Stallings said there have been prior occasions where Brehmer couldn’t be found on the day of a hearing but was available soon after.
Lua reset the trial date for June 29 and asked court staff to inform Brehmer of the new date.
Booth, 75, faces multiple felony counts in connection with the crash. His blood alcohol-content was allegedly 0.28%, more than three times the legal limit.
In January, Booth was found guilty of misdemeanor DUI charges for driving drunk months after the crash. In that case, he drove to Jim Burke Ford to get a tire repaired and was arrested after providing breath samples that returned BAC readings of 0.231 and 0.233%.
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