Justice has been served in Santa Rosa after a jury convicted Charles Allen Bernhardy of second-degree murder and several other charges related to a fatal DUI collision that claimed the life of 23-year-old Vance Stammer in 2022. On Tuesday, the Santa Rosa Police Department shared a social media post detailing the outcome of the harrowing incident on September 6 nearly three years ago.
Stammer had been riding his motorcycle westbound on Fountaingrove Parkway when Bernhardy, in a Chevrolet pickup truck, collided with him from behind. The impact force ejected Stammer from his motorcycle and dislodged his helmet. Bernhardy then hit a red Honda before his vehicle became disabled, at which point he fled the scene. This sequence led to serious injuries for Stammer, who was later put on life support but tragically never recovered.
Investigators, led by Accident Investigator John Fisher, gathered evidence and witness testimony, which pointed to Bernhardy's impairment due to alcohol and possibly drugs at the time of the collision. The post lauds the efforts of the Santa Rosa Police Department's Accident Investigators for working diligently to secure justice for Stammer and his family.
Upon the conclusion of a weeks-long trial, a jury rendered their verdict yesterday, finding Bernhardy guilty of second-degree murder under 187 PC, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated under 191.5 PC with the comatose brain injury enhancement, DUI alcohol causing injury under 23153(a) VC, hit and run causing death under 20001(b)(2) VC, and misdemeanor hit and run under 20002(a) VC. However, he was acquitted of the charge of DUI drugs causing injury. As detailed by the Santa Rosa Police, the case against Bernhardy was intricate and wrought with emotional stakes.
