FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — 35-year-old Tiffany Mercado was in handcuffs and a green jumpsuit when she appeared in a Fresno County Courtroom early Friday morning.<\/p>\n
This, her first appearance since she was arrested for driving intoxicated through a stop sign in Parlier and killing 15-year-old Juliani Moreno earlier this week.<\/p>\n
She pleaded not guilty to the added charge of D-U-I that was tacked onto the other charges from the District’s Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n
This comes as authorities reveal they believe Mercado was high from inhaling an air duster.<\/p>\n
Mercado’s extensive criminal history dating back to 2011 in Southern California was brought to the forefront inside the courtroom.<\/p>\n
Action News has learned Mercado was on supervised parole at the time of this deadly crash. The San Bernardino DA, Jason Anderson, tells Action News he believes she shouldn’t have been released as she only did about 30% of the time she was sentenced to for a violent robbery case dating back to 2024.<\/p>\n
Anderson has prosecuted Mercado several times and sent her to prison twice.<\/p>\n
He believes this tragedy was preventable, claiming she should’ve been behind bars.<\/p>\n
“She was sentenced in April 2024 to 6 years in prison. She didn’t even do two years of it,” says Anderson.<\/p>\n
Back in 2024, Mercado pleaded no contest to second-degree robbery of a liquor store in Fontana. But was released in January of this year and placed on community supervision.<\/p>\n
The DA says this because of department of correction’s rules and credit she earned from classes.<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, the paper commitment, which, if she had done her full-time, she would’ve been in custody and not been out on the streets up in Fresno,” says Anderson.<\/p>\n
In court, new revelations.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors telling the judge Mercado was going up to 100 miles an hour when she ran through the intersection.<\/p>\n
They also revealed investigators found a half used air duster can in her trunk, they claim she tried to hide it after the crash.<\/p>\n
“Inside of that can is an intoxicating substance called difluoroethane, which is used for huffing or intoxicating,” says Steve Ueltzen, Fresno County Persecutor.<\/p>\n
Action News cameras captured the moment Mercado wobbled through a sobriety test on scene. Authorities say she did admit to huffing in her past but denies she did that night.<\/p>\n
Anderson, pointing the blame now at the Department of Corrections, arguing this case is another example that their rules are too lenient.<\/p>\n
“From our standpoint, we’re angered because we don’t believe this person should’ve been free from custody and there’s a cost in the fact from every one of these lousy decisions that is made within CDCR,” says Anderson.<\/p>\n
We did reach out to the Department of Corrections for comment but have not heard back.<\/p>\n
If convicted of these new charges, Mercado could be facing 26 years in prison.<\/p>\n
For news and weather updates, follow Brisa Col\u00f3n on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n