San Miguel woman convicted of hit and run and insurance felonies
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – A San Luis Obispo County jury convicted Melissa Roseanne Brewer of a felony hit and run causing injury and four felony counts of insurance fraud and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving on Mar. 16, 2023.
Brewer is currently scheduled for sentencing on Apr. 14, 2023. The maximum possible sentence she could receive for these charges is six years and eight months in prison.
Evidence presented during the seven-day trial showed that the 46-year-old resident of San Miguel struck a motorcyclist merging onto southbound Highway 101 off of Avila Beach Drive on Mar. 23, 2021.
Brewer was reported as driving recklessly prior to the collision and left the scene of the injured motorcyclist without rendering aid.
Additional charges for insurance fraud were incurred on Mar. 28, 2021 when Brewer filed an insurance claim for her Hyundai Veloster for a single-vehicle, no passenger, and no injury collision. On Apr. 4, 2021 she also claimed to her insurance company that she was receiving medical attention related to that claimed collision.
California Highway Patrol searched through vehicle registration records and located Brewer's Veloster at an area repair shop with damage consistent with a vehicle collision.
Additional presented evidence placed Brewer at the scene including cell phone data and eyewitness accounts.
“Even when someone does everything they can to avoid arrest and prosecution, our local law enforcement agencies go to great lengths to hold offenders accountable for their crimes,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “I am proud of the outstanding investigative work of the California Highway Patrol, our DA Bureau of Investigations, and each of the good Samaritans in our community who assisted in solving this case.”
