"The charges against Zato stem from an incident in which she plowed into 27-year-old James Roda of Oakland with her 1984 Mercedes-Benz while he was in the middle of 14th Street between Madison and Oak streets shortly before 1 a.m. on Oct. 5, 2013. Zato's lawyer, Megan Burns, said in her closing argument in November that Zato struck Roda under duress because she faced an imminent threat from a group of men who had beaten her and robbed her of her cellphone in front of the Oakland Public Library."
"The confrontation occurred after Zato shouted at a group of people who were painting graffiti on the walls of the library, which is located across the street from the Ruby Room bar. Zato and Roda had both been drinking there that night. Prosecutor Adam Maldonado said Zato had been kicked out of the bar because she was drunk and had confronted patrons who were playing pool."
Meghan Zato apologized before being sentenced to seven years in state prison for striking and seriously injuring James Roda with her car outside a bar near Lake Merritt in Oakland. Convictions include assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury, two counts of driving under the influence, and one count of leaving the scene. The judge said the maximum sentence would be inappropriate because Zato has academic achievements and no prior criminal record. The defense said Zato acted under duress after being beaten and robbed; the prosecution said she had been kicked out of the bar for being drunk.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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