DUI trial to start soon

The trial for an Irvine woman accused of killing a Newport Beach elementary school teacher in a car accident while under the influence of prescription drugs will likely start in the next couple of weeks, attorneys said Monday.

Janene Johns, 53, was arrested Aug. 24, 2006, after police found her behind the wheel of the Lexus they say hit 31-year-old Costa Mesa resident and Eastbluff Elementary School teacher Candace Tift who was riding her bike.

“Both sides are almost ready for trial, but we have a few more things to do,” said Gary Pohlson, Johns’ attorney. “The trial should be starting in the next two weeks.”

Johns pleaded not guilty June 11 to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and driving under the influence.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Rober Mestman said prosecutors plan to prove she was under the influence of prescription drugs when she allegedly hit Tift.

The day she was hit by a car, Tift was also walking her dog on the West Coast Highway sidewalk in Newport Beach, not far from her Costa Mesa home. About 7:30 p.m., a woman driving a Lexus veered onto the curb and hit her, police said. Emergency personnel found Tift lying on the sidewalk with severe head and bodily injuries.

She was not wearing a helmet at the time and died later at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Attorneys are expected to schedule a trial date Wednesday.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.