A Healdsburg mother passed out drunk after locking her children in the family minivan where her 2-year-old son died in sweltering heat, police said Friday.

A 4-year-old boy survived the eight-hour ordeal.

Their mother, Rena Corban, was arrested on suspicion of murder, Healdsburg Police Chief Susan Jones said.

She said Corban, 35, was warned by police last year in Santa Rosa after leaving one child in a car unattended.

``This was just senseless,'' Jones said. ``It's really sad that something like this has to happen. My heart goes out to the father and the rest of the family.''

Police said Corban had been drinking wine early Thursday after her husband, Justin Paulsen, left for work. Then she took her two boys, Liam, 2, and Jaden, 4, for a short ride in the van, Sgt. Tony Pinochi said.

He said Corban returned to her Hummingbird Court home at about 10 a.m. and parked on the street.

``She was intoxicated,'' Pinochi said. ``She went into the house and apparently passed out on the couch.''

The boys were discovered by their father at around 6 p.m. when he came home from work, Pinochi said.

Liam Paulsen was still strapped in a car seat, where police believe he sat for eight hours in 90-degree heat that could have pushed temperatures inside the metallic-blue van well above 100 degrees.

His skin was blue and covered in perspiration, Pinochi said.

Jaden was lying nude on the floor, apparently unable to open child safety locks on the 2004 Toyota Sienna, Pinochi said.

``It was horrible,'' Pinochi said.

The father pulled the boys from the car and tried to resuscitate the younger son. Liam Paulsen was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after an ambulance arrived, Pinochi said.

Jaden was treated and released, police said.

Neighbors said they heard Justin Paulsen screaming at his wife as paramedics took the toddler away.

``He was saying, `I'm going to kill her,''' said Marilyn Laidlaw, who was visiting her son two houses away. ``Obviously, she was a little off balance.''

Another neighbor, Mary Williams, said there was nothing unusual about the family.

``They were real nice,'' Williams said.

Corban got a verbal warning in October from Santa Rosa police after leaving Liam in her car while she attended a bead show at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Pinochi said.

He was unhurt after being in the car about 20 minutes, Pinochi said.

On Thursday, police found wine in the van, he said. Corban doesn't have a record of alcohol-related offenses, but Pinochi said she told officers that she drinks.

The minivan was impounded by police.

It had been parked beside a hedge, but with dry weather and temperatures in the mid-90s Thursday, Pinochi said the heat inside the van quickly became lethal.

Jan Null, a professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University, said dozens of children die each year in similar accidents.

In 70-degree heat, the temperature in a closed car can rise about 20 degrees every 10 minutes, easily reaching 120 degrees.

Heatstroke occurs when body temperature reaches 104 degrees. A temperature of 107 is fatal.

``And because of their smaller body mass and less developed thermoregulatory systems, children are particularly vulnerable,'' Null said.

Nationally, 197 children have been killed in closed cars since 1998, Null said.

Pinochi said there had been no such deaths in Healdsburg.

He was unsure why the 4-year-old couldn't open the doors from the inside. Child-safety locks held the back doors closed but the front doors were accessible, Pinochi said.

Tinted rear windows may have made it difficult for passers-by to spot the children inside the vehicle.

Corban is being held without bail at the Sonoma County Jail. She is due in court Monday.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 521-5250 or at ppayne@pressdemocrat.com.

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GRIEF FOR BOY WHO DIED IN VAN

Published on August 22, 2004

BYLINE: JEREMY HAY

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PAGE: B1

A tight shroud of grief encloses the family of a 2-year-old Healdsburg boy who died of heatstroke after his mother, apparently drunk, locked him and his brother in a minivan and passed out in their house.

Justin Paulsen found his two sons in the van, which was parked in the driveway of his home at the end of quiet cul-de-sac near Badger Park, when he got home from work at about 6 p.m. Thursday.

Liam, 2, was dead, still strapped in his car seat. Jaden, 4, was lying on the van floor, naked, but conscious. The boys had been locked in the 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan since about 10 a.m., police said, on a day when temperatures in Healdsburg reached 92 degrees.

``There's a little boy who did survive,'' Paulsen's sister, Terri Paulsen, said Saturday. ``I think he is what is holding everybody up, and thank God, thank God, he survived.''

The boys' mother, Rena Corban, 35, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Jaden Paulsen was treated and released to his father Thursday.

Justin Paulsen is one of three children of the late entertainer Pat Paulsen.

After returning home, Paulsen had apparently tried to rouse Corban, before figuring out where the boys were and racing to the van, Healdsburg Police Sgt. Rick Urteago said.

Standing outside her brother's Hummingbird Court home, with its small, neatly kept fr ont yard and a healthy flower bed by the front door, Terri Paulsen struggled when asked about Corban.

``I know what I really want to say,'' she said, ``but I -- she's just not well.''

Corban is being held without bail in the Sonoma County Jail's mental health unit, where she declined an interview request Saturday.

She was previously warned by Santa Rosa police in October after leaving Liam unattended in her vehicle for about 20 minutes at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, according to Healdsburg police.

Investigators had yet to question her at length about what occurred Thursday, Urteago said. Police have said she was drinking wine Thursday morning and wine was found in the van.

He said he wasn't aware of a report by a neighbor across the street, who said her brother watched Corban check on the van at about noon Thursday.

Justin Paulsen declined to comment. His sister said she didn't know if he'd had spoken to Corban since po lice took her away Thursday night.

She referred further calls to Santa Rosa attorney Pat Grattan, who she said was acting as a family spokesman. He couldn't be reached Saturday.

Across the street, in a fenced-in garden that offers no view of the driveway where Liam died, Yaqui Lara, a retired Santa Rosa firefighter, said he has wondered whether he might have averted the tragedy.

About 4 p.m. Thursday, he said, he heard something like a car alarm, or perhaps a horn, sounding for about 40 seconds, and almost investigated.

``I was just about to get up and then I kind of heard the little chirp sound as it turned off,'' he said. ``Being a retired firefighter, you're always haunted by what you can or can't do to have saved somebody.''

Corban was quiet and seemed nice, conscientious, he said. Not long ago, he helped her free one of the boys who'd locked himself inside a bathroom. She had cats, and seemed to take good care of them.

``I figured that spilled over to the children,'' he said.

A small wooden chair sat on the front lawn Saturday holding teddy bears and flowers.

``It's a real tragedy, we just pray for the family,'' said Jerry Harper, who lives three doors away on the same side of the short street, part of a subdivision built in the late 1980s.

``If it had been somewhere out here, where people walk by ... '' he said, gesturing at the empty street.

He and his wife took roses down and placed them by the teddy bears Saturday morning.

``That's the first time that we've been down there,'' he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 521-5212 or jhay@pressdemocrat.com.

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MOM TO BE ARRAIGNED IN SON'S DEATH

Published on August 23, 2004

BYLINE: MARY FRICKER

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PAGE: B1

A Healdsburg mother who apparently left her 2-year-old son to die of heatstroke in the family minivan last week fought a long battle with alcoholism and depression, family members said Sunday.

After three days in seclusion, the boy's grieving family released a statement late Sunday asking for a period of privacy and requesting that people try to put aside their anger over the tragedy.

The boy's mother, Rena Corban, 35, is scheduled to be arraigned in Sonoma County Superior Court this morning for the death of her son, Liam.

``We ask that you try to set aside your anger over this terrible tragedy. It was the result of a long struggle with alcoholism and depression which has ended in the tragic loss of a young life and the needless suffering of all those involved,'' the family said in its statement.

Police say Corban parked the family minivan in the driveway outside her home Thursday and left her two sons, Liam and Jaden, locked inside under the hot sun while she apparently passed out in the house on alcohol and drugs.

Liam

Paulsen, 2, was found still strapped in his car seat by his father, Justin Paulsen, when he returned to his Hummingbird Court home from work at La Crema Winery at about 6 p.m. Thursday.

Liam

's older brother, Jaden, 4, was lying on the van floor, naked but conscious. He is doing well and is at home with his dad, grandparents and other family members, police said.

``The well-being of Liam's surviving brother Jaden is our primary focus now,'' the family said. ``His simple strength and his will to live has given us the courage to go on.''

Corban has told police she does not remember what happened, and has threatened to kill herself, said Sgt. Tony Pinochi of the Healdsburg Police Department, the lead investigator on the case. She is being held without bail on suspicion of murder in the mental health unit of the Sonoma County Jail.

The exact charges that the Sonoma County District Attorney will file against Corban will be announced this morning during the arraignment, Pinochi said. Murder and child endangerment are under consideration, he said.

Corban told Pinochi she had a history of alcoholism, and said she took five times the p rescribed amount of the painkiller Vicodin for a back injury. The police found three empty wine bottles in the blue 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan, Pinochi said. Investigators have not yet received tests that would show Corban's alcohol level.

The minivan has been impounded, and police are waiting for the results of studies to determine how hot it got inside the van during the eight hours that the boys were locked inside.

``It probably was within 115 to 122 degrees,'' Pinochi said.

Corban's struggles with alcoholism nearly led to the couple's divorce in October, Pinochi said. That same month, Corban got a verbal warning from Santa Rosa police after she left Liam in her car about 20 minutes while she attended a bead show at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Pinochi said.

In December Corban called police to her home twice during arguments with her husband. Justin Paulsen was not threatening physical violence either time, and at least once the argument was over Corban's drinking, police said.

When Paulsen arrived home Thursday, he apparently tried to rouse Corban first, before he figured out where the boys were and raced to the van, police said.

He found Liam still strapped in a car seat, covered in perspiration, and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him, Pinochi said. Liam was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after an ambulance arrived. Jaden was treated and released.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been completed, but will be announced soon, the family said.

``The family wishes to express their deep appreciation for all of the well-wishes and concern over the loss of 2-year-old Liam Paulsen,'' it said in a statement. ``There will be a time when we can share our feelings and memories together, but for the moment we ask that you find it in your heart to please respect our privacy, as we need time to grieve.''

You can reach Staff Writer

Mary Fricker at 521-5241 or mfricker@pressdemocrat.com.

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MOM CHARGED IN 2-YEAR-OLD'S DEATH

Published on August 24, 2004

BYLINE: PAUL PAYNE

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PAGE: B1

Prosecutors on Monday filed involuntary manslaughter charges against a Healdsburg mother suspected of locking her two sons in a minivan, where one of them died in extreme heat.

Rena Corban appeared in Sonoma County Superior Court before Judge Elaine Rushing, who continued the arraignment to Wednesday so that Corban could have time to choose a lawyer.

The 35-year-old woman is accused of being drunk and under the influence of painkillers Aug. 19 when she left Liam Paulsen, 2, strapped in his car seat for eight hours as outside temperatures soared into the 90s.

The toddler was found dead by his father, Justin Paulsen, when he returned home from work. Her 4-year-old son, Jaden, who was also in the van, survived by stripping off his clothes and hugging the floor, police said.

Initially, police booked Corban for murder, in part because she had a prior warning for leaving a son in a car last year outside the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

But Deputy District Attorney Bill Brockley said because Corban was incapacitated by a mixture of wine and pills, it would be difficult to prove malice, a legal finding that is necessary for murder.

``You have to be conscious of what you're doing,'' Brockley said outside the courtroom. ``At this point, we can't establish that.''

Prosecutors instead f iled the manslaughter charge and two counts of felony child endangerment.

With an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury on a child under 5, Corban faces a maximum prison sentence of 13 years and four months, Brockley said.

Corban is being held in Sonoma County Jail. She has been denied bail.

She entered the courtroom handcuffed to a wheelchair, shielding her face from news cameras and family. Corban whispered to Chief Deputy Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi, who represented Corban at the hearing but is not expected to be her permanent lawyer.

Her father, Ray Corban, said his daughter is deeply distraught from the ordeal. She has a history of alcoholism and depression, and the death of her son was overwhelming, he said.

``It's an enormous tragedy,'' Ray Corban said. ``She's just a basket case.''

The Paulsen family referred calls to their lawyer, Pat Grattan. He would not comment on the charges, saying only that the District Attorn ey's Office will do what is appropriate.

Grattan said he will not represent Corban.

``The family wishes to be left alone,'' he said. ``Right now, the focus is on the 4-year-old.''

Police said Corban was doing errands Thursday morning with her sons before the accident happened.

She had consumed red wine and five times her prescribed dose of Vicodin that day, Sgt. Tony Pinochi said.

She also had a prescription for Zoloft, an anti-depressant, but had stopped using it, Pinochi said.

Corban apparently pulled up in front of the family's Hummingbird Court house at about 10 a.m. and left the children in the van before passing out on a chair in the house, Pinochi said.

Neighbors said that at about 3:30 p.m. they heard a car alarm on the street, but police could not confirm whether it came from the van.

Corban's husband arrived home at about 6 p.m. He pulled his sons from the van. The youngest was covered in sweat and was blue, and Paulsen was unable to resuscitate him, police said.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics.

Results from an autopsy Friday to determine the cause of death were not available.

Police said it will likely show Liam Paulsen died of heat exposure.

The 4-year-old is in satisfactory condition, Grattan said.

Authorities are also awaiting toxicology and blood-alcohol results on Corban.

Three empty wine bottles were found in the van, Pinochi said.

The couple had quarreled over her alcoholism before, Pinochi said.

Police were called out to the house twice in December to quell arguments, he said.

Neighbors reported hearing the couple fighting.

Corban and her husband filed for divorce last year, but were still living together, Pinochi said.

Corban worked for a Santa Rosa engineering firm and Paulsen is an employee of Le Crema Winery.

In the late 1990s, Paulsen was a guitarist in a local rock band called Seventh Day Rototiller.

He is the son of the late comedian Pat Paulsen, who made five gag bids for the presidency from 1968 to 1996.

Paulsen

also owned a winery in Asti. He died in 1997.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 521-5250 or at ppayne@pressdemocrat.com.

PHOTO: 1 by CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / The Press Democrat 1 mug, Rena Corban

Rena Corban sits handcuffed to a wheelchair as Chief Deputy Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi talks to her Monday afternoon at the Sonoma County Courthouse. The District Attorney's Office has filed charges of involuntary manslaughter against Corban in the death of her 2-year-old son, Liam Paulsen.

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HEALDSBURG MOTHER PLEADS INNOCENT IN CHILD'S HEATSTROKE DEATH IN VAN

Published on August 26, 2004

BYLINE: STEVE HART

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PAGE: B1

Rena Corban pleaded innocent Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment for allegedly leaving her two young sons locked for hours in the family minivan, where her 2-year-old died of heat exposure.

Healdsburg police said Corban, 35, passed out inside her house under the influence of alcohol and painkillers. Her 4-year-old survived the ordeal.

Corban's attorney, Chief Deputy Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi, said Corban remains in Sonoma County Jail's mental health unit, where she's under close observation.

``She's overwhelmed with grief,'' Pozzi said.

Corban hung her head and covered her face during Wednesday's brief court appearance. She softly replied ``yes'' when Judge Elaine Rushing asked if she was pleading innocent to the charges.

On Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney William Brockley requested the judge set Corban's bail at $250,000, saying ``she is a grave danger to the community and to herself.''

Pozzi said her client doesn't want to be released from jail. ``She thinks she needs to be in jail right now,'' Pozzi said. She said it's doubtful Corban will be allowed to attend private funeral services later this week for her youngest son, Liam Paulsen.

Corban could be sentenced to more than 13 years in prison if she's convicted of killing Liam and injuring his o lder brother, Jaden. Police said she left Liam and Jaden locked in the minivan outside her home on Hummingbird Court on the morning of Aug. 19 after returning from an errand. She then went inside the house and passed out, according to police.

The temperature in Healdsburg reached more than 90 degrees that day, and it was much hotter inside the van, police said.

Her husband, Justin Paulsen, found the two boys inside the van when he came home from work about 6 p.m. and discovered his wife passed out. Liam was dead in his car seat, and Jaden was on the floor of the van trying to keep cool, police said.

Jaden was treated and later released to his father.

Corban doesn't remember what happened that day, according to police.

Police arrested her on suspicion of murder, but prosecutors said they filed the less serious charges because it would be difficult to prove Corban knew what she was doing.

Paulsen

's family on Sunday said Corban has a history of depression and alcohol dependence. They asked that people set aside their anger over the incident and respect the family's privacy.

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TRAGIC DEATH

Published on August 26, 2004

BYLINE: JAMES PATRICK CASEY, Sonoma

PAGE: B4

COLUMN: Let the Public Speak

EDITOR: Violent death is commonplace in our terribly troubled world. One defense mechanism is to simply ignore it in the hope that it will stop. I cannot ignore the death of 2-year-old Liam Paulsen. It has broken my heart. His death could not have been an easy one; quite to the contrary. My youngest son (age 9) is named Liam.

I am so sorry, wee lad, that I was not there to help you. Snuggle up and sleep tight, Liam love. You can play with the angels for all of eternity. I will remember you every time I look at my Liam.

JAMES PATRICK CASEY

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HEARING WAIVED IN CHILD'S VAN DEATH

Published on September 10, 2004

BYLINE: Steve Hart

PAGE: B3

COLUMN: Around the Empire

A Healdsburg woman waived a preliminary hearing Thursday on charges she left her two young sons locked for hours in the family minivan, where one of them died of heat exposure.

Rena Corban, 35, is accused of involuntary manslaughter in the Aug. 19 death of Liam Paulsen, 2. She also is charged with child endangerment for allegedly injuring Liam's 4-year-old brother, Jaden.

After leaving her children in the van, Corban passed out inside her Hummingbird Court home, under the influence of alcohol and painkillers, according to Healdsburg police. She is being held in Sonoma County Jail on $250,000 bail.

Corban appeared in court Thursday for a hearing to determine whether there was enough evidence to make her stand trial. She waived her right to the hearing. A trial date will be set later.

Corban could be sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Deputy District Attorney William Brockley said Corban's blood-alcohol content when she was arrested was more than three times the level at which a driver is considered impaired.

Her husband found the children when he returned home from work. They'd been in the van about eight hours.

-- Steve Hart

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NO BAIL REDUCTION IN BOY'S MINIVAN DEATH

Published on October 7, 2004

BYLINE: Steve Hart

PAGE: B3

COLUMN: Around the empire

A judge Wednesday refused to reduce bail for a Healdsburg woman accused of leaving her two young sons locked for hours in her minivan, where one of them died from heat exposure.

Rena Corban, 36, remains in jail on $250,000 bail.

Corban is charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in the Aug. 19 death of Liam Paulsen, 2. She also is accused of endangering his 4-year-old brother, Jaden.

Corban was under the influence of alcohol and painkillers when she left her children in the van outside their home, Healdsburg police said. She passed out inside the house.

Her husband discovered the children when he returned from work eight hours later.

On Wednesday, Chief Deputy Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi said Corban should be released on her own recognizance so she can enroll in a drug and alcohol treatment program. She said Corban isn't a danger to herself or others.

Deputy District Attorney William Brockley said Corban endangered her children by driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol on the day of the incident. Judge Elaine Rushing denied any reduction in her bail. Corban's case is set for a trial Dec. 2.

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Healdsburg mom gets 7 years

Judge rejects leniency for woman whose son died in sweltering minivan

Thursday, May 5, 2005

By LORI A. CARTER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Saying Rena Corban is a danger to society, a judge sentenced the Healdsburg mother to more than seven years in prison Wednesday for leaving her 2-year-old boy in a sweltering van where he died while she passed out drunk inside her home.

"The court is not engaging in social work," Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elaine Rushing said. "I believe this is in the interest of justice."

Despite impassioned appeals for leniency from Corban's family, friends and Corban herself, Rushing handed down a midrange sentence of seven years and four months. Corban, 36, faced as many as 13 years, four months in prison.

Corban pleaded no contest last year to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her younger son, Liam Paulsen, and two counts of child endangerment - one for Liam, the other for Corban's older boy, Jaden, now 5, who survived the ordeal.

On Wednesday, in a small courtroom taut with emotion from the estranged Paulsen and Corban families, the boys' father, Justin Paulsen, struggled to read a tearful - and at times angry and bitter - statement asking the judge to send Corban to prison.

He pointed to recent sentences of nine and 14 years Rushing gave drunken drivers who killed bicyclists.

"This case is no different," he said. "Liam Paulsen died at the hands of a careless and selfish alcoholic. But he didn't just die, he was tortured to death.... The effect of this devastating tragedy will be with me and Jaden for all eternity."

Paulsen and Corban are going through divorce proceedings.

Liam and Jaden spent eight hours locked inside the family's minivan Aug. 19 when the temperature in the van rose to more than 120 degrees. Liam died of heatstroke.

Corban said she had taken five Vicodin pain pills and had been on a drinking binge. She had a blood-alcohol level of .28 - more than three times the legal driving limit. She had left the children in the car at 10 a.m., with Liam strapped in his car seat, until their father arrived home at 6 p.m.

Corban, an acknowledged alcoholic, told police she didn't remember what happened. Police found three empty wine bottles and several containers of prescription painkillers in the van.

In arguing for a lengthy prison sentence, Deputy District Attorney Bill Brockley played a 4½-minute DVD of the strawberry blond Liam playing with Jaden, enjoying making a mess at mealtime, bouncing in his doorway jumper. As the strains of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" flowed through the courtroom, many, including the judge, fought back tears.

As she watched her younger boy, Corban mashed a tissue in her hands and wiped away tears, taking a lingering gaze at the final portrait photo of Liam that remained on screen during the two-hour hearing.

Reading from prepared notes, she said she was sorry for the "wreckage and aftermath others have had to endure" because of her actions.

She said her "heartache is indescribable, regret constant and the grief relentless."

"My two precious children, who I loved more than life itself ... (became) innocent victims of my irresponsible behavior and neglect," she said.

"It's for Jaden that I'm asking for a chance. For I know I can be rehabilitated. I'm willing to go to any lengths to maintain my sobriety," she said. "You'll never know how sorry I am."

Brockley argued that Corban repeatedly behaved selfishly at the expense of her children's safety.

He said she knew her actions were dangerous after being warned by police after a similar incident in 2003. That October, Santa Rosa police warned Corban after a passer-by reported Liam strapped alone in his car seat in the van while his mother attended a craft show at the fairgrounds.

"I can accept the sympathy, but I hope the court grants her no lenienc e," Brockley said.

Jane Paulsen, the boys' grandmother, said a lot of time had been spent discussing Corban's sentence.

"I think it's time to discuss Liam Paulsen," she said. "He was this little 2-year-old boy who wanted nothing more from this life than a chance to be loved, a chance to be taken care of, a chance to play and a chance to laugh.

"Rena was always telling those little boys they had choices," she said. "They were 2 and 4. Liam didn't have a choice on August 19. He had to sit in that car seat and die.. .. The only one who had a choice was Rena. She made a choice when she went to that liquor store and picked up those bottles of wine."

Corban's attorney, Chief Deputy Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi, came to tears more than once in her pleas for probation and addiction treatment.
Rushing said she didn't think Corban would succeed on probation.

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Sentencing in minivan death upheld

Court says Corban's history leaves 'grave doubts' about probation prospects

Thursday, May 26, 2006

By PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A state appeals court upheld a seven-year prison sentence for a Healdsburg woman whose 2-year-old son died after being left in a scorching minivan parked outside her home.

Rena Corban, 37, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child endangerment stemming from the August 2004 death of her son, Liam Paulsen, who was locked in the van with his 4-year-old brother Jaden as temperatures inside soared to 120 degrees.

The boys were left in the van for about eight hours after Corban passed out in the house. She said she had been drinking and taking painkillers.

Despite recommendations for probation and up to a year in county jail, Superior Court Judge Elaine Rushing in 2005 said Corban was a danger to society, handing down a sentence of seven years and four months in state prison.

On Friday a three-judge panel of the 1st district Court of Appeal in San Francisco affirmed Rushing's sentence.

Presiding Justice James Marchiano said in the ruling that although Corban had no prior record, the circumstances of the case coupled with a past warning about leaving her child in a car were particularly egregious.

Marchiano said the relative seriousness of the crimes, the vulnerability of the victims and Corban's doubtful ability to comply with the terms of probation were, in part, the basis for the ruling.

The judge said Corban told a probation official she had been in recovery from alcohol abuse since 2000 but had relapsed a number of times before the incident.

The history gave the court "grave doubts" about Corban's prospects on probation, the 12-page ruling said.

"Whether defendant would likely fail on probation or pose a danger to society if not incarcerated were judgment calls for the trial court," the ruling said.

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SON'S DEATH ILLUSTRATES HOT CAR RISK

Healdsburg man warns public against leaving kids in vehicles

By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Justin Paulsen was nearly overcome - the grief of his small son's death still fresh, still painful despite the passage of nearly two years.

He was, he said, a reluctant spokesman, but admitted in a choked voice that he "didn't think it would be this hard" to talk about the day 2-year-old Liam succumbed to heat in his mother's locked minivan.

"I stand before you only because I feel so strongly about the issues we are discussing here today," he said at a Friday news conference. "It is my hope that my experience and newfound knowledge will help educate this community and prevent this terrible tragedy from occurring again."

Paulsen, 41, stood beside representatives from the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, the CHP and the county's Child Death Review Team to begin a campaign to educate the public about an often overlooked public safety issue: children left unattended in vehicles.

Liam and his then 4-year-old brother, Jaden Paulsen, were left in a vehicle in the driveway of their family's Healdsburg home for about eight hours by an alcoholic mother who passed out inside the house - "crawling dis tance" from their sweltering sons, her former husband said Friday.

The outside temperature reached 92 degrees that August day. Inside the van, authorities said, it would have been about 120.

While Jaden survived, he still suffers from the trauma of watching his brother die, his father said.

With the summer's hottest weeks approaching, Paulsen stood with law enforcement to discuss hyperthermia and other automobile-related dangers that have taken the lives of at least 671 U.S. children left unattended in and around cars since 2001.

Sometimes kids are left alone on purpose, perhaps by an adult who doesn't want to wake them or otherwise have the patience to wrestle with their child safety seat.

Other children climb into unlocked cars when no one is looking - a factor that played into the deaths of 46 children, or 27 percent, in a study of 171 hyperthermia deaths from 1995 to 2002.

The study's authors said 39 percent of the children who died were l eft in cars by caregivers who simply forgot them - a problem Beth Dadko, coordinator of the county's Safe Kids network, said drivers could remedy by leaving purses, briefcases, even shoes in the back seat to ensure they remember their passengers.

But officials said the primary solution is to understand the risks, pay close attention and resist, for instance, the urge to seek relief by allowing the kids to sit a spell in a DVD-equipped car.

"You know, it's not a baby sitter or a playground, (it's) a car," CHP Officer Barbara Upham said.

Paulsen said his ex-wife, Rena Corban, who is serving a seven-year sentence for her crime, used to use the van as a baby sitter, exposing the boys to many dangers of which he's become acutely aware since Liam's death.

During the long period of despair that followed, he sought solace in the Internet, s including a Web site dedicated to the problem of kids and motor vehicles called Kids In Cars.

Liam's Web site now has l inks to some of those sites as part of an effort to get more involved in the issue, support new bills and raise awareness.

"The damage has been done to my family," Paulsen said, "but it is not too late for others."

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SR MAN GETS NEARLY 9 YEARS IN KILLING OF BICYCLIST ON HWY. 12

BYLINE: STEVE HART

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PAGE: A1

Santa Rosa attorney Harvey Hereford was sentenced Monday to almost nine years in prison for a drunken driving accident in April that killed one bicyclist and critically injured another -- the survivor telling the judge her life has been changed forever.

``I lost a lot, including a friend,'' said Jill Mason, 27, a marketing analyst from Cupertino.

Mason was paralyzed in the Highway 12 accident that killed her boyfriend, Alan Liu, 31, a computer engineer from Mountain View.

Sitting in a wheelchair and speaking to Hereford in a halting voice, Mason said she's lost her independence.

``My legs don't work anymore. You've changed my life forever, and you've taken Alan's away,'' she said.

Mason will most likely spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, said her mother, Joanne Mason. Jill Mason suffered severe head and spinal injuries and spent more than five months in the hospital.

She has had numerous surgeries and was unable to speak for months.

The courtroom was packed with family and friends of Mason and Liu. During an emotional two-hour hearing before Judge Elaine Rushing, the relatives said Hereford should get the maximum penalty for running into them.

They said Liu was a top athlete and swimming coach who had a promising career in the computer industry.

``You robbed the world of a very fine young man who offered so much to society,'' Liu's mother, Rita Wells, told Hereford.

Rushing imposed the maximum sentence -- eight years and eight months in prison. Hereford, 69, must serve at least 85 percent before being eligible for parole.

Mason and Liu, both triathletes, were bicycling April 11 on Highway 12 near Oakmont when Hereford veered off the highway and struck them from behind. The level of alcohol in Hereford's system was more than three times the legal limit for driving, the CHP said.

On Monday, Hereford admitted he was drunk that Easter morning and said he's sorry for what happened.

Hereford, who has a law practice in San Francisco, said he doesn't remember driving away from his Oakmont home that morning or turning onto Highway 12.

``I don't recall getting into the car. The first thing I recall is that the windshield shattered,'' he said.

Speaking to the Mason and Liu families, Hereford said he's guilty of a ``monumentally selfish act.''

Hereford pleaded guilty in July to vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and driving on an expired license.

Deputy District Attorney William Brockley said Hereford should get the maximum sentence because he knew about the dangers of drinking and driving.

``He put every family in the community at risk,'' Brockley said.

According to a Probation Department report, Hereford was depressed because he felt abandoned by his family on Easter Sunday.

Hereford's attorney, George Engler, said his client takes responsibility for the ``terrible tragedy.''

Mason's and Liu's relatives said they don't believe Hereford is sorry for what he did, and his prison sentence won't make up for their loss.

``He has failed to show any remorse,'' said Barry Liu, Alan Liu's father.

Rushing said Hereford deserved the maximum sentence because of the high level of alcohol in his system.

``The court does intend to send a message that drinking and driving will not be tolerated in Sonoma County,'' she said.

At a news conference after the sentencing, the Liu and Mason families were joined by relatives of Daniel O'Reilly of Sonoma, a bicyclist who was struck and killed last April by a drunken driver on Mark West Springs Road north of Santa Rosa.

In the O'Reilly case, Rushing sentenced William Michael Albertson, 46, of Cobb to 14 years in prison for vehicular manslaughter. His sentence included an extra five years because he previously was in prison for assault in 1999.

On Monday, the victims' families urged stiffer penalties for drunken drivers.

``Let this be a lesson to people and show them what drunken driving can do,'' Jill Mason said.

You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 568-5312 or shart@pressdemocrat.com.

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14-YEAR SENTENCE IN CYCLIST'S DEATH

Published on August 24, 2004

BYLINE: STEVE HART

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

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Friends and relatives tearfully remembered Daniel O'Reilly on Monday, then heard a judge give a 14-year prison sentence to a drunken driver who killed the 43-year-old father of two as he bicycled home from work in April.

Judge Elaine Rushing gave William Michael Albertson, 46, of Cobb the maximum term for vehicular manslaughter in O'Reilly's death.

O'Reilly of Sonoma was an actor, dancer, musician, environmentalist, marketing whiz and devoted husband and father, family members said at the emotion-filled hearing.

``He was so much more than a victim of this crime,'' said Mary Eble, his sister-in-law. ``He can never be replaced.''

O'Reilly's wife, Patty, said her life has been changed forever.

``I have lost my best friend for the past 17 years,'' she told the judge. ``I have had to tell our daughters that their father would never be coming home to us again.''

O'Reilly was bicycling home from his job as a marketing analyst at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates in Santa Rosa when he was struck at about 5:20 p.m. April 19 on Mark West Springs Road, near Riebli Road, north of Santa Rosa. He was an avid bicyclist who pedaled to work at least once a week, friends said.

CHP investigators said Albertson's pickup swerved into a guardrail and struck O'Reilly, throwing him 25 feet off the road. Albertson didn't tell authorities who had responded to reports of his wreck that he'd hit anyone, and O'Reilly's body wasn't discovered until later that evening.

Albertson was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, and authorities said the level of alcohol in his blood was almost three times the legal limit. He has been held without bail in the Sonoma County Jail.

Last month, Albertson pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and hit-and-run driving.

O'Reilly's killing happened just eight days after two other bicyclists were struck by a drunken driver near Santa Rosa. One of those cyclists died and the other was seriously injured.

The accidents outraged Sonoma County bicycle activists, who attended Monday's hearing and other proceedings in Albertson's case.

Rushing said she hopes Albertson's sentence tells motorists they must make room for bicyclists.

``Bicycle riders have the same rights as automobile drivers,'' the judge said.

Rushing said a maximum prison sentence is ``the only way to protect society'' from such drivers as Albertson.

His sentence includes a five-year enhancement because Albertson previously was in prison for assault in 1999.

He must serve at least 85 percent of the new sentence before being eligible for parole.

Albertson said Monday he is sorry for the crash and asked O'Reilly's family to forgive him.

``I chose to drive my vehicle under the influence of alcohol,'' he said. ``I am so, so sorry.''

Some in the courtroom wept as they viewed a video montage of O'Reilly's life, including childhood snapshots and photos of him with his wife and daughters Erin, 12, and Siobhan, 7.

Nancy Econome of Kendall-Jackson said O'Reilly was ``the environmental conscience of our company,'' organizing recycling efforts and bike-to-work days.

Deputy District Attorney William Brockley told Albertson he deserves the maximum sentence for killing O'Reilly.

``You took the life of one of the good people,'' he said.

The crash was the second in April involving a drunken driver and bicyclists. Santa Rosa attorney Harvey Hereford, 69, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges in the April 11 death of bicyclist Allen Liu, 31, of Mountain View. He also admitted injuring Liu's girlfriend, Jill Mason, 26, of Cupertino. Hereford will be sentenced Sept. 13.

You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 707-568-5312 or shart@pressdemocrat.com.

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