The East Bay Times reported on Dec. 12 that Emeryville police are asking prosecutors to increase the charges filed against a suspect who was driving the truck that hit former Piedmont resident Michelle Farmer Eldridge in January 2023 in Emeryville near the IKEA store. Eldridge sustained major injuries from the collision and died on Oct. 31 in South Carolina, where her extended family lives.
According to The East Bay Times :
After striking Eldridge, the truck crashed into a pole and the suspected driver, Nathan Stenberg, 35, of San Francisco, fled on foot, according to court documents. Witnesses directed police to a nearby restaurant, where Stenberg was found hiding in the bathroom.
Police found a pistol in a bag next to Stenberg in the bathroom, according to the documents, and empty liquor bottles inside the truck.
Stenberg was charged Jan. 30 with driving under the influence resulting in injury, leaving the scene of an accident and carrying a concealed firearm, all felonies. He has pleaded not guilty.
Emeryville police said they are now also asking prosecutors to charge Stenberg with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. As of Tuesday morning, the complaint against Stenberg had not been amended to include that charge.