Teen Sentenced to Jail for Role in DUI Crash

A Chatsworth High School student was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading no contest to one count each of driving under the influence, causing injuries and driving without a license--all while ditching school, authorities said Tuesday.

Diane Quintanar, 18, entered her plea and was sentenced Monday in San Fernando Municipal Court, said Los Angeles City Atty. Jim Hahn.

Quintanar was also placed on five years probation and must pay restitution to the owner of the vehicle she was driving and the passenger whom she injured, said Victor Kalustian, the deputy city attorney who handled the case. She must also participate in the Hospital and Morgue Program, in which participants view victims of violent crimes in emergency rooms and visit a morgue to witness an autopsy.

Authorities said Quintanar skipped school Jan. 24 and spent the day drinking with two 17-year-old girls, also Chatsworth High students. She then took a pickup truck belonging to one girl’s father for a drive with the other girl.

Quintanar lost control of the truck as she turned onto Devonshire Street from Farralone Avenue, striking the curb, then careening across the street and ramming head-on into a tree, according to Kalustian.

Quintanar had broken teeth and cuts to her face and left leg. Her passenger suffered a fractured nose and multiple bruises, Kalustian said.

Both were taken to Granada Hills Community Hospital, where Quintanar’s blood-alcohol level registered at 0.16%, twice the legal limit of 0.08%, according to Kalustian.