It’s now been reaffirmed that a Nevada County man, 80 years old at the time of his arrest, is competent to face prosecution for murder, in a New Year’s eve crash that killed a Chico woman. In May, a county judge accepted a positive evaluation from a doctor regarding Raymond Poquette. But Poquette still insisted on a hearing and District Attorney Jesse Wilson says that was held on Thursday…

click to listen to Jesse Wilson

Poquette reportedly made an unsafe turning move with his motorhome into the opposite lane of Highway 49, near Cerrito Road, in the South County. He collided head-on with the vehicle carrying the victim. A murder charge is allowed, due to Poquette’s history of vehicle-related crimes going back over a decade. Wilson says a competency hearing ensures that a defendant can adequately understand the charges and proceedings…

click to listen to Jesse Wilson

In 2009, Poquette led the CHP on a 12-mile pursuit on Highway 20 that ended when his car was disabled by a spike strip. In 2017, he also unsafely turned his motorhome across Highway 49 into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with another motorhome. And in 2018, he was arrested for keying vehicles along East Main Street in Grass Valley.