I read a comment on a previous related article and wished to offer some insight. A reader had pleaded for more frequent updates and additional information regarding injured parties in these collisions. Having worked on either end of the bench as both a prosecutor and defense attorney, I understand one's desire to know what's going on but, fortunately, there are laws and policies in place that prevent both hospital staff as well as public safety personnel from disclosing in great detail an involved person's injuries; they are, after all, medical records. For other liability reasons these entities may not disclose specific release times and dates. Recently I heard some of my neighbors openly criticize the police for not having arrested the 19-year-old girl immediately after she was released from the hospital. As the officer above states, cases this serious do indeed require meticulously air-tight investigations to ensure successful prosecution. Also, where kids are involved rumors and leads develop and distort at exponential rates... all of which require careful sorting out. I'm a firm believer that justice truly does prevail and that, ultimately, good people will have the courage to step forward and do what's right to ensure a young girl's life was not lost without some accountability by those responsible.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Laurel's family and friends.

May the road rise up to meet you,May the wind be ever at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, And the rain fall softly on your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Rest in Peace Laurel Alice Williams, you were truly loved by ALL.

Unfortuantly, the driver of the car was a DUI waiting to happen. What surprises me most is that it did not happen sooner...and her drinking buddies were not always minors, I hope the police discover that in the investigation.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Laurel and her family, what a tragedy, beyond comprehension and so avoidable.

It is so sad, yet at the same time a lot of rumors about the drivers inability to realize that drinking and driving is not a sport...if true.. and alcohol is involved this young woman has to face life being hated by many. I know God has said never to throw stones at people...give 2nd chances...is there any way to bring the other girl back and say.. wait wait let me try this again... nope unfortunately not.Kids.. wait until your 21 to drink or don't drink at all... if aint that great anyway...especially if you're dead!!!

My heart goes out to both families in this horible accident that occured last Saturday. The key word is "accident"...in no way could either of these beautiful girls have predicted the outcome of that morning. Our children believe that nothing like this could ever happen to them and at this age group they are invinsible. My son Ryan was in Laurel's sign language class senior year. He is devistated for her mother and for Katie and her family. Life is so fragile, but we as parents can not always keep our children safe. This brings back memories of Joel's death from their graduation class. It is truly a parents worst nightmare. Sincerely, Pam Silliman

I just heard that Pleasanton has lost yet another young gal. A girl who had previously gone to Foothill and was currently enrolled at Village, committed suicide last Wednesday... Our community needs to bond together and save our future...

Our hearts go out to all the families!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who supplied the alchohol??

Do you really believe that someone has to "supply" the alcohol? Check your liquor cabinets, parents. Look for false id's, and please, anyone who is "of age", do not purchase alcohol for your "friends".....lives are being lost.

Check out these girls' myspace pages. Pictures of kids with alcohol, boasting of being drunk. Messages posted about parties and drinking binges. I don't get why this is acceptable- parents, if your children are living under your roof and they are under age, you have a responsibility to do your best to know what they're doing. Of course they will hide and sneak from you, but these girls were ADVERTISING it all over their web pages, and it wasn't private. If I pulled up my 19 year old daughter's myspace page and saw pictures of her kissing vodka, you can bet I would take swift action. It's too late now for these families, but don't let it be too late for yours. And perhaps the families of these girls were working with their girls to stop the drinking, of course I do not pretend to know their personal situation, I'm just saying.....let's not turn a blind eye, people. Save our kids! They need us to be pests. They need to know that we care and they need to know that there are consequences to every behavior.
May God bless these loved ones who are left to second guess...

My daughter attends Village and the school had a assembly Thursday morning.

Our community needs to bond and come together...that would take a miracle. Most pleasanton parents have their heads..well you know. They want their kids in the "in" group. to be popular, make the team etc. If this means alcohol and drugs...many parents turn their heads! I have experienced this first hand. We put the football, basketball player, cheerleader, homecoming princess on a pedestal. All in the name of popularity. You parents are selling your hearts and souls as well as your own children. This popular behavior gets your kids far in high school...but nowhere in life!When I walk the schools of Pleasanton and read the signs "respect", "integrity", compassion" etc, I don't know which one to throw up on. The parents need to get control of their kids and be kinder themselves and then maybe the community can come together and we can start instilling some decent values into our kids!

First of all, these girls were in college and why don't all of you ask yourself what you were doing in college? I'm sure none of your noses are clean. The only mistake here was that they decided to get behind the wheel. This is not a highschool issue, this is a drunk driving issue. This does not just happen to college kids, I am almost 100 percent positive you or someone you know has got behind the wheel after drinking. I see DUI checkpoints every year and about 90% of them are grown adults. This has nothing to do about popularity, and nothing to do with highschool. How many of you get behind the wheel after having a bottle of wine at Haps or a few cocktails? How about we stop pointing the finger and looking at behavior that is fatal in ALL age groups. There is a tradegic lost here, and someone's baby girl is dead so instead of blaming look at your behavior, and let Laurel's family mourn in peace.

Also, myspace is not a place where you go and judge people. I'm sure theres a lot of things you don't know about your kids, that you would find out on myspace. You have no right to judge these girls and to blame their parents for the content that they have or the pictures that are up on myspace. Many parents don't even know that their son or daughter has one. The people that are out here preaching to other's why dont you check your liquor cabinet and see if your vodka is watered down instead of spending all your time gossiping about other people.

The comment above that this was just an "accident" and that the driver "couldn't have predicted the outcome" are both wrong. It is not an accident when you drink and choose to get into a car and a resulting accident happens. It is a deliberate act with known consequences. The result is predictable if you just look at the shear number of kids Foothill Road has taken over the years.

It looks as if My Space is set to evolve into an investigative resource. Indeed, if people are advertising future parties, then our local police might want to engage in a little preventive law enforcement by sending an officer to the location to remind party goers of the dangers of DUI, check a few IDs and make phone calls to the parents of any underaged participants.

Bars are held responsible if they allow obviously intoxicated patrons access to a motor vehicle. Does the same apply to private party hosts?

When I heard about this horriffic accident I couldn't help but get chills and cry some tears not only for the family of the girl taken too early in life, but also for the others involved.
For those of you who are so quick to criticize or point the finger, instead how about taking a minute to stop and remember how many times you have done something you shouldn't have; whether it be something as serious as drinking then getting in a car to drive home or you go to make that right hand turn and almost hit the bicyclist because you were on your cell phone and didn't see them there or something more trival like gossiping about others when you don't know the facts.

This unfortunate and tragic accident could have happened to anyone. Right now the most important thing is to allow these 2 families their privacy to deal with what has happened and to pray for their strength to cope in this unbelievably tragic situation.
It's really easy to sit around and talk about others because we always think we are better then the next person. Until you walk in their shoes or have been through this personally, then how dare you spend your time and energy in such a negative way as to critize them or their families.
If you have kids, then take the time right now to go look them in the eyes and tell them you love them. Take time to appreciate your family, your kids & your life because you never know; it could change in a split second, and might not even be in your control.
We go through day to day life basically "sweating the small stuff" and in reality when something like this happens you need to stop and realize all that small stuff doesn't matter anymore when a loved one is taken from you or goes through something of this magnatude.
Give yourself a reality check to see if there is something you could be doing to try and make sure this type of thing doesn't happen to someone you love. Make the choice to be part of a solution, not part of the problem.
From someone who unfortunately has walked in these families shoes & can absolutely feel their pain

It's too bad that this happened. But how many of us could say in this situation, "there but by the grace of God go I?" Judgment is not too good when you are only 19, and perhaps there were decisions made by both girls and others that influenced this tragic outcome. It is easy to lay blame without knowing what was truly happening. The pain in both of these families is not going to end soon. Perhaps it is best to let it rest.

It's not about judgement; it's about responsibility. Be it a minor, or an adult; if you get behind the wheel of your car drunk and hurt or kill someone, the law calls that felony DUI. So it really does not matter if me, or someone else has done it...it matters that this driver killed her passenger.

What amazes me as well, is no one has written about the poor 70 year old lady who was driving down Foothill on a Saturday morning and got plowed into by a drunk teenager. What if it was your Grandmother heading to Lucky's and the poor drunk teen plowed into her head on. Yes, I know it could have been an adult, in fact a 54 year old man was arrested in Pleasanton for DUI after hitting and sending a 9 year old to the trauma ward the same weekend. (text taken out by Pleasanton Weekly staff) The driver made a poor choice, now she will suffer the consequences. As the driver, she was the one fully responsible, not Laurel who also made a poor decison and paid with her life.

This is not fantasy land, teens should be treated no different than adults. But there is a law that allows adults over 21 to consume alcoholic beverages, the teen driver broke two laws, it was also illegal for her to be drinking in the first place. It's not about being "quick to criticize" it's about being held accountable for your actions, something many of our teens (and yes, adults too) fail to do on a regular basis.

You say that the police need to look at teen's myspace's what good will that do? Technically the police can do nothing about it, because they do not have evidence that there was actually liquor in the container. I did research on this topic for a paper. It frustrates me that the driver has yet to face any consequences. Laurel should not have died that night, period. (portion of comment removed by Pleasanton Weekly staff) To Laurel's family I am truly sorry for your loss, and I hope justice is served to the fullest! And also for the 70 year old woman, I hope you are ok too!

yea you other parents out there saying that these girls were bad kids and a DUI waiting to happen, you are heartless. just because you are too far from the incident to really feel anything about it doesnt mean you can just sit here and gossip about it with the other soccer moms. these are people's lives. it doesn't matter what these girls did on the weekends, or what their myspaces show. they were peoples friends and daughters show some compassion. what did you do at their age? regardless of how it happened, its a tragedy. dont mock it

This is not an issue of age. Yes these girls were underage but it wouldnt make it any better if they were 21. To blame myspace and tell parents to check that is outrageous if you really dont know youre child and need to spy on them that should be your first clue. Save your kids?... you obviously dont have any and if you do i feel bad for them. An error was made that morning by both girls but that doesnt change the situation. Laurel was an amazing human being which seems to get over looked and Katie will get what she has coming to her.

Laurel was a very nice girl with a kind heart and our deepest sympathy goes out to her family and friends! We are devasted for everyone involved. Our kids knew both Katie & Laurel and loved them both very much! It was the hardest thing in the world to tell our kids that Katie & Laurel were in an accident and Laurel died. I hope the other woman injured in the other car is doing better today, and I hope she will fully recover soon.

It is unbelievable how people, who no nothing about who either girl really are as people or the facts related to the party & accident, are already convicting a person. Let the Police do their complete investigation to exactly what happened before you judge anyone.

If it is true that Katie & Laurel were provided alcohol by an adult and were drinking at someone's house...This is a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided had many people along the way intervened that morning...multiple people at that party share in the responsibilty. The parents who allowed underage drinking at their house, the persons who provided the alcohol, the person who drove them from the party to Katie's car. (Sounds like Katie & Laurel didn't leave the party on their own...They were driven and dropped off at Katie's car far from the party.)

Here are some questions for people to really think about.

Why did the people at the party allow drunk 19 yr olds. to leave and go to their car? Why did a person drive two drunk girls to their car and watch them drive away and essentially wish them luck? Why did Laurel get into a car with a drunk driver? What if Katie died and Laurel lived? Would Laurel be to blame for not stopping her friend from driving and have horrible things said and written about her? It seems like these two girls were in no condition to make any rational decisions considering the state they were in. When someone drinks way too much, which young people often do, their "friends" at the party should have made them stay or called a cab. Friends don't let friends drive drunk!

One life has been lost and many have been changed forever. More than one person made horrible choices that Sat morning. They were aided in their bad decision by how they got to their car, which seems is being investigated as well as how the alcohol was provided.
We all can try to look at this and say this could have been any one of our teenage kids. I do believe it was an accident, but because of the outcome, there will be consequences to face not only by Katie but by others as well.
I know Katie is not a BAD person, I know she is a GOOD person who made horrible decisions that morning and now has to deal with the consequences for the rest of her life.

This accident has impacted my life dramatically & will forever be in my life. Many lessons can be learned from this tragedy, so it doesn't happen again! Be part of the solution and not the problem. Talk to your kids & friends and make them understand that driving drunk usually results in devasting consequences!

My thoughts are with everyone involved!

The comment from AD brought to my mind a concern that I think is important to share with your kids, not only should they not drive after they have been drinking but they should not allow anyone who is drunk in their car while they are behind the wheel! All of who are familiar with the tragic death of Joel Davis in the summer of 2005 realize that alcohol played a part in that accident as well.....the driver (who was certainly driving too fast) was not drunk but the young lady in the front seat was and her actions contributed to the crash as well as the speed of the car. What really saddens me if that all of the students in that class were so devastated by this accident, I really thought they would carry the memory of Joel with them and not let his death be in vain...

Personal Responsibility. It is important that we all stress to our children the importance of personal responsibility. Action/ Reaction. Mistake/ Consequence. Simple logic, not finger-pointing, no blame-laying. Personal responsibility. If you drive drunk, you kill. Period.

To those of you asking 'what were you doing as a teen' as if that somehow excuses the driver of any liability in Laurels death....

(a portion of this comment was removed by Pleasanton Weekly staff)

You would have to be a complete MORON to think that is what normal teenagers do.......

(a portion of this comment was removed by Pleasanton Weekly staff) She was the driver, which makes her the responsible party. She will go to jail, and nothing will bring Laurel back. A lesson for all.

No one referred to "what were you doing as a teen" they were referring to the behaviors that were done while in college. This is no way an excuse to the liability but they were referring to the people that were finger blaming when most of these people don't even know the true story.

** FYI - the alcohol was not provided by a parent and the parent was not at the house. How about we let the police do their investigation instead of jumping to conclusions from what your kid is hearing at school?

and no I dont think people are complete MORONS for thinking this is what "normal" teenagers do. MOST teenagers drink. I graduated from Foothill High School two years ago, and I can't even begin to tell you how many people at dances or football games would get suspended for drinking. Maybe you don't drink which is great, thats the legal thing to do, but let's not act like a "normal" teenager is described as someone who doesn't drink. Teenagers drink. Bottom line. I don't know how anyone who says different. Besides, what is the definition of "Normal" and how do can you categorize people as in normal and not normal? We are supposed to be coming together as a community to help prevent this from happending AGAIN. Not victimizing people, and blaming people. The accident has already occured, so instead of sitting here arguing why don't we take action and talk to friends and our kids to help prevent it from happening again.

The accident is a tragedy for everyone involved: friends, family, witnesses. While it is true the driver shouldn't have been driving, she did and what happened is something she will have to live with forever. I believe the other comments about "what did you do as a teenager" should remind all of us that we have, at one point or another in our lives, done something we regret. It is just very sad that Katie's regret is much bigger than what many of us will every have to deal with. As a parent of a Foothill teenager, I hope my daughter never makes a mistake that she will regret forever, however, if she does I will love her no matter what. I will not point my finger at her and criticize her. I will hug her and let her know that she is human. I also would hope that her friends and the people in our community would do the same. Everything happens for a reason-sometimes the reasons are not always clear until many years from now. There is a Hallmark movie called "Crossroads: Story of Forgivness", if you are having a hard time forgiving Katie for this accident, please watch that movie.

First of all I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to Laurel's family and friends. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and heartache this has caused.

I understand that there are people that are really angry about the accident and with Katie. I have read stories about other incidents and have had friends die in accidents just like this and was angry with the people that were driving. Now that I am on the other side, knowing Katie and her family, I have learned that you shouldn't judge what you don't know. I am sure Katie and her entire family are grieving for Laurel and her family and are sorry, beyond words, for what happened. I am sure Katie didn't get in the car that morning with the intention of hurting anyone much less one of her best friends. This happened to Katie and Laurel but I hope all their friends think about it and realize that it could have happened, and God forbid could happen, to any of them.

Regardless of the legal system, Katie will punish herself for the rest of her life for this. Let's not forget not only did a family and friends lose a beautiful girl but Katie lost a best friend as well.

I wish people would stop judging and really think about what they are saying and try to put themselves in that position. People need to get off their high horses and realize that teenagers (most likely your own) drink, adults drink, and some of those people drive, doesn't mean they are out to hurt anybody.

I was just reading the police log from Pleasanton and 12 out of 17 incidents were alcohol related, 7 of the 12 were DUI, and 6 of the 12 were people under the age of 23 and 3 of the 6 were people that are 18 years old and this all happened in 6 days.

I know it is hard to forgive but more than anything both of these families need love and support. My heart goes out to both families.

Life is made up of a string of choices. It is easy to judge. But in this tragic instance, judging others whom we do not know serves no purpose. So, given children of all ages and the choices they face during thier lives, this should serve as a tragic reminder to empower children with education, protection, love and prayer. And if they should fail - which WILL HAPPEN from time to time! - then it's time, once again, to educate, protect, love and pray for them. Godspeed, Laurel.

Simple question? What if Katie had killed your mother, father, sister or brother that Saturday afternoon? Would you feel sorry for her then? Sorry, no sympathy from me, not for Katie. For her parents...maybe (portion of comment removed by Pleasanton Weekly staff). For Lauren and her family, our hearts go out.

to 'Good Friend'- you need to calm down. Most of what I posted was removed by the editor because it contained information about the case they do not want to release. If you knew what it said you would agree that something very 'not normal' had occured. About me taking action, I am not the drunk on the road but apparently at times, you are......

This was definetly a tragedy....I knew each of the girls briefly...Teens, you need to stop the partying and accept Jesus in your heart today before it is too late....God loves you and wants you to have purpose in your life. When I read that the Harvest Church Pastor on the corner of Hopyard informed both parents about the accident it reminded me to pray for both families and for Katie everyday that all of you would come to know Jesus personally in your lives. He will get you through this situation. ......Do not judge lest you be judged....Christ is returning someday and only he is the judge....You think you "die" but you don't you wake up in eternity in one of two places, Heaven, if you have accepted Jesus as your personal savior and Hell, if you reject him....

Words are powerful. Harsh remarks can cause a destructive chain reaction, like a match in the forest during a drought. Kind comments feel like a light summer rain that brings relief from the heat of day. We can know our words are the refreshing kind—seasoned with grace—when . . .
• Our tone and manner reflect the way we want others to speak to us. Talking pleasantly should not depend on whether others are kind with their words. Grace-filled speech consistently uses a gentle voice and positive body language.

• What we say about others is similar to what we would want said of us. All of us hope to hear our weaknesses minimized and our strengths emphasized—and to be given the benefit of the doubt in confusing situations.

• We speak only words we know to be true. Gossip and lies have no place in a Christian’s conversation. The Lord opposes lying tongues and false witnesses (Proverbs 6:16-19).

• Our speech is edifying. Speaking fairly and positively of others is part of godly speech.
Transforming our conversation begins on the inside with the right heart attitude. As we saturate our minds with the Word of God, our hearts will soften, and we’ll begin to respond differently. Through the Holy Spirit, we will be convicted of times when our speech is inappropriate. He will teach us to be more aware of what we say and to stop ourselves before we speak amiss.

God will be glorified and others will be blessed when we practice grace-filled speech.

to Good Friend- I will continue to 'blame' people when they kill others due to their selfish behaviour. And Laurel WAS a victim.

Dear "Concerned Parent in another community"....save the religious rhetoric. This is a place to vent frustrations and community concern about such a prevalent issue in our community. Drinking and driving kills. It has been proven again and again, and this time it hit the young. Please do not use this as a soapbox for Christian values. Laurel is dead and Katie will soon go to jail. Visit her at Santa Rita if you want to "save" someone.

Katie did not set out that morning intentially to "kill others". Don't come on here and say comments that are hurtful to other people. Think about if it was your son/daughter or mother/father driving, put yourself in their shoes. And if you have no sympathy or nothing nice to say-dont come on here and let it be known. Their are two families here that both need your prayers.

I came across this accident seconds after it happened. I called local emergency while another person was dialing 911.

Please remember to enter the local emergency number into your cell phone, as 911 will go to CHP. If you are not on a state hiway or freway, CHP will not be able to help. My call whent to the correct place, I dialed 411 because I did not know the local number. So, if you are in an unfamiliar city, call 411 and ask for local emergency.
God, please have mercy on Laurel's soul, and help those families cope.

No, it wasn't katie's intention, but it was her decision to drink and get behind the wheel of her car. That's a decision that cost her friends life and quite possibly her freedom. This community has a severe problem with under age drinking and reckless driving. We need to ask our community leaders and parents to find ways to resolve these problems. Talk to your children to make better decisions. It could one day save their life.

To Laurel's family, my prayers for your loss and to find peace.
To the 70 year old woman, my prayers for a full recovery.
To Katie, my prayers to find your way as life will be difficult.

To the person who drove 2 drunk girls to a car - did you learn anything?
To the legal adult who purchased the alcohol - did you learn anything?
My prayers for you too.

WAKE UP people - alcohol is dangerous. Do not turn a blind eye to your kids - TALK to them. What "WE" did yesterday was no where near the scope of today. And under age or of age - do not let friends drink and drive!!!!!

Our community needs to realize that drugs and alcohol is increasingly rampant amongst our middle school and high school students. As a result tragic circumstances occur and a parent's worst nightmare happens. Go sit in the Jack In The Box parking lot and watch the activity after school and at night. "Shouldertapping", a term used by the kids to get an adult to buy booze for them as the adult enters a liquor store. Kids know that term. Walk the parks, sometimes the kids don't even hide it. I saw a kid buy marijuana on Greenwood Road near Harvest Park Middle School from a young adult in a high lift white redneck truck recently. His license plates were obscured. I knew the kid who purchased the marijuana and told his father about it. Little was done. The kid supposedly smokes dope everyday and he is and on probation for shoplifting. Kids shoplift out of Safeway often. The store chooses to place their booze within easy walkng distance of an entrance instead of moving it to the back of the store, more difficult to walk out with. Many of the kids have money and get drugs and alcohol easily. Parents are "too busy" to check on their kids and some have the attitude that marijuana isn't that bad. It is, against the law, etc., etc. We might have done it and were the "lucky ones"......The Pleasanton City Council is pondering spending $2 million on 4 way street crossing apparatus to stop train whistles. How about spending some of that $2 Million, if the city has it, on ridding drugs from our community through increasing Police School Resource Officers and educational programs that work. DARE should go as it isn't working these days. The train crossing apparatus do not prevent people from walking on the tracks as we have recently and traagically have seen......I believe even after the $2 Million is spent on train crossing apparatus, the train whistles will still blow because of federal train operation regulations within an impacted community......Traffic, Teen Drugs and Teen Alcohol are Pleasanton's problems and we are doing a good job of ignoring them until tragedy strikes. Then we get buzzing like bees, blah, blah, blah.

Sadly people are so naive. You honestly blame the person who supplied the alcohol? Last time I checked, Katie was the one to get herself drunk, Katie was the one to get in the car, turn it on and drive off with her friend in the car.

From what I understand, Katie wasn't living at home, so don't blame the poor mother in this situation.

I am a newly 21 year old and I have common sense to not put myself or anyone else in that situation. It's really not that difficult to just call someone or a cab, or who ever enabled them to drink in the first place.

Parents this girl is 19 years old, it could happen to anyone, it just honestly depends on which one uses their brain.

kthanks.

If an adult knowingly supplied the alcohol to a minor and I believe this to be the case), that is a crime and perhaps makes them complicate in the death of Laurel, they should be charged, tried and convicted. How stupid can a person be to supply an underaged teenager with the fuel she needed to impair her judgement and eventualy kill her friend. (portion of comment removed by Pleasanton Weekly staff) I can appreciate the sympathy, everyone can blog what they want, including the "religous rhetoric", but personaly I am frustrated and angry that charges have not yet been filed. Katie is connected to influencial people in the community, I hope that this is not the reason. I hope she has a good attorney, she needs one. But if the cops are dragging their feet as not to offend...that would be a story as well.

NO PARENT SUPPLIED THE ALCOHOL. GET THAT OUR OF YOUR HEADS! AND ADOLFO, I DONT KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW KATIE AND WHO SHE IS "CONNECTED" TO IN THE COMMMUNITY. I SUGGEST YOU STOP ASSUMING THINGS. KATIE WILL GET EVERYTHING THAT IS COMING TO HER. THEY ARE INVESTIGATING THATS WHY IT IS TAKING SO LONG, NOT BECAUSE KATIE HAS "INFLUENCIAL" PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. THATS BULL. (commented edited by Pleasanton Weekly staff due to profanity)

Can we stop attacking each other, please? Clearly people are upset, angry and wanting to find meaning in this. But attacking each other does nothing for anyone involved, least of all the families who are affected by this and are likely feeling devastated.

This is my last time viewing this thread of posts on the P.Weekly site. I suggest the editors of the P.Weekly terminate this thread of nastiness. If insulting each other is worth it enough, then the blame-layers can start their own personal blogs.

I have spent much time reading all the blogs and I agree that Katie made a bad choice in driving that morning. All these kids are good kids, I know this because I have trusted them with my own kids. Sometimes bad decisions are made. Katie will have to pay the price of her actions, but some accountability has to go to the 22 year man who bought the alcohol and the same 22 year old man that drove them to her car. But I also know that she and other kids her age all think that they can drive in this condition. This accident could have been anyone of these kids. Try to put yourselves in the position of Katie's family. They never expected anything like this to happen, and now they have to deal with the sadness of knowing that their daughter has made the worst decision of her young life. Please remember Laurel will be missed tremendously and nothing can bring her back.
Adolfo needs to sit back and not talk about things that he does not know. Do you think that where she lived there wasn't a positive role model? What does where she lived matter about a 19 year old making a bad decision?
Let the families grieve.

It's not just the families who are grieving. An entire community grieves and needs to vent when a young life is senselessly wasted. Lessons will be learned by those who need to learn them at this time, old and young alike.

Grieving goes in stages, and an important stage is anger. We will continue to grieve this horrible crime and death and share concern and love and compassion for all of those involved. Many lives have been affected, and this forum is a fairly easy way for some to vent. I am grateful that people are talking and angry and aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. We ALL need to do something about it from this day forward.

Pleasanton mourns for all involved.

I wonder, if all of this love and support, tears and "oh my gosh they were such great kids" from Pleasanton would be the same if it was an Asian, Indian, Black or God help us a Hispanic kid driving the car. If you don't think this girl has "juice" in the very pale Pleasanton community...then think again.

Are the toxicology results back? They were due back by Monday. Why isn't the local press covering this...you all do the math, I can put two and two together.

This has NOTHING to do with race. If your "from another community" you didn't know these girls, so keep the racial remarks out of here.

If it was a black or brown kid, they would have been taken from the hospital in handcuffs to jail and there they would wait for the toxicolgy results, which by the way are over due. Is the local press asking why the results have not been released, or are they to busy covering last weekends youth soccer scores? Are the attorneys working out deals? Are more than just Katie involved in the investigation? Will Kaite be held accountable for her actions. Will Laurel get justice? This was a crime, if committed by a drunk teenger, if she drove while intoxicated Kaite is a criminal, if not, she should already have been cleared. No matter how Pleasanton wants to "white" wash this. If this was any other community, the police would have made an arrest on the itital blood alcohol content test, which should have been completed shortly after the accident, if it did not come back over the limit, why don't they clear Katie of drunk diving? If it is over the limit why is she not in jail?

By they way, the comment by the Pleasanton resident is typical, the good folks in Pleasanton never will understand, it's always about race...this case in particular. But the comment is understandable when looking at local demographics.

Are you kidding me bringing race into this?????
This has nothing to do with race.It has to do with an investigation and finding all the facts and all the people involved.
Don't think too much.

We clearly need better, more easily accessible public transportation.

What does a taxi ride from Dublin to Pleasanton cost?

Underage drinking - Katie is the poster child. Wake up everyone........This needs to be addressed by our lazy Prosecutor in Pleasanton. It is sad that race is a factor, and alcohol is being blamed for a human beings decision to drink and drive. A choice was made. A very bad choice. Katie is relaxing at home and nothing is being done. Lets wait to see if anything happens to the driver who made a choice of this caliper. It does not matter who is a good kid. Stop making excuses for irresponsability of an adult. She is not a kid! off on technicalities. Pleasanton is known to persecute minority. It will be a blessing if the Pleasanton community bites down on this to make justice happen for Laurel. Katie (portion deleted by PW staff) has been able to do what she has wanted to do without having to be accountable.

I wonder- are you a (profanity deleted) retard? Race? Get a life. Let the toxicology reports speak for themselves when needed. She's dead, what deos it change at this point?!

ARE THE TOXICOLOGY REPORT RESULTS???? LAST WEEK IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE RESULTS WERE TO BE RECEIVED LAST FRIDAY OR MONDAY, WHAT'S GOING ON??? WITH ALL OF THE PUBLICITY ABOUT THIS CASE THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW THE FACTS...THERE'S SO MUCH SPECULATION AND RUMORS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, PUT THE RUMORS TO REST AND GIVE US THE STRAIGHT STORY!

PLEASANTON POLICE DEPARTMENT....WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS CASE???

Bottom line.. drunk driving kills. I'm sure these girls went out to a party (with a mixed aged crowd), got drunk then past out, tried to sleep off the alcohol, got up at 10 AM (per the report) and tried to drive home.

While that is still drunk driving (i agree) but just as many people die of drunk driving as they do of driving while tired. Did you know that it is more dangerous to drive tired than it is to drive drunk? look up that statistics.

Either way... its not OK for minors to drink... but its definetly not ok for anyone to drink an drive. Whether you were an underage drinker or if you were a 40 year leaving the Faz after happy hour.

IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE!

I have an idea: raise the age of driving cars to 21 and lower the age of drinking to 16. While doing this, provide much better public transportation and taxicab services than the pathetic #10 line. Has anyone ever tried going out to parties using public transportation in this valley? It's a joke! Then try calling a cab! They never show up! You need to call like 3 or 4, and maybe one will show up after an hour. And then when that cab does show up, the driver doesn't even know the address you're trying to get to! I've done all this. I've also driven while intoxicated under the age. And why did I do this? Because I was a teenager, wanted to lose control and couldn't bring myself to call my parents or another adult to drive me home. I also couldn't get home using public transportation. But I could drink under age 21 and call a cab or take a bus or subway or tram home in Europe! Raising the age of driving is an excellent idea! It decreases traffic instead of creating more drivers. It also lessens the amount of pollution we create. Lowering the drinking age is also an excellent idea! Let's start teaching teenagers RESPONSIBLE DRINKING at a young age, when they are young and impressionable. Most of these kids who drink and drive do so because they learn from example by their parents. But like any other life lesson, they overdo it and learn the proper balance later in life, like 1 drink with food before driving. By taking the car out of the equation, we can save lives! Encouraging use of public transportation is such a pipe dream of mine, though. It would be so cool if there was a lightrail or hydrogen bus system that ran along all the major and sub-major traffic routes in the Tri-Valley that the city councils of the Tri-Valley pour money into analyzing the traffic patterns to time the lights, etc. etc. Why is letting teenagers drink and enjoy life and parties and getting them home safely with public transportation such a bad thing? But getting them behind the wheel and adding to the number of drivers on the road, and polluting and pouring money into the shareholders' pockets of companies like GM and Exxon such a "good" thing? Why is violence on TV so acceptable but showing some nudity of consenting adults in healthy relationships on TV not? And no, the relationships that people have on daytime TV are not healthy. ... But alas, I am completely off topic...

Instead of blaming/judging/accusing/insert-synonym-here anyone, maybe we, as a community, need to take the appropriate steps, through the correct political channels, to initiate some REAL change in our little Tri-Valley. Raising driving ages and lowering drinking ages is something that can only be done on a national level, and seeing how divided we are as a country, getting a 2/3 majority to consent on this is highly unlikely. But we, as a community, could make changes in public transportation for our Tri-Valley so that teenagers and adults have a reliable option to get home safely. Maybe if Laurel could have taken a bus home, things would have been different that morning.

One of the Pleasanton community of character traits is compassion.
It is easy to feel compassion for someone who is ill, lost a job, had his house burn down. It's a lot more difficult to feel compassion for someone like Katie because she made a choice - a bad one - that led to best friend's death.

If you can look back over your entire life and not wish you could go back in time and change some of your actions - not say the hurtful words, not cheat, lie or any number of other things which when you think of today still bring a flush of shame to your cheeks - well, then you are very fortunate. But if you're an imperfect human being who has made mistakes, then perhaps you can find it in yourself to feel some compassion for Katie.

She made a big mistake. She will have to take responsibility for that mistake. She will have to live the rest of her life knowing and remembering that her mistake led to her best friend's death. But I bet she wishes, as so many of us do, that she could go back in time and change her actions.

I don't excuse what she did, but even though I've lost friends to drunk drivers, I can feel sorry for her. As nasty as some of the comments have been, I doubt anyone can say anything harder or more hurtful than the things Katie is saying to herself.

Dear annonymous
As for why Katie has not been charged yet or ever...wait for the police to finish the investigation. You can call the police and ask them when they plan on finishing the investigation. Lots of information needs to be checked out before anyone is charged if wrong doing was involved.
As for if Katie is relaxing at home like nothing ever happenned....remember she was ejected and is suffering extensive head trauma...I know she is not relaxing.
The final police report will explain all.
I still say it was an accident with a terrible outcome for all involved.
The courts will decide, not us, what actions will be taken.
Just because Katie and Laurel are 19 I wouldn't say any of these kids are mature enough to say they are 19, more like 16 in their minds and I know many of these kids personally.
Remember it could have been the other way around....different drivers and alcohol could still have been involved.
If it had been Laurels car then Katie would be dead or both. remember they both made bad decisions that morning.

Shelley, Shelley, Shelley ......What are you talking about?
all that typing and you made no sense. I hope you didn't hurt yourself
processing those thoughts in your head. geez!

If you don't have any personal connection with the family's and know anything that is going on in the investigation STOP saying things that are not true. All you are doing is adding more rumors. No there were not parents at the party, yes there were kids of different ages. These "kids" are not kids, they are young adults, they are sophomores in college, its not like they were juniors in high-school. Katie's punishment will come in time, let them finish their investigation and let Laurel's family and friends grieve in peace!

Dear AD,

stop covering for katie. (portion removed by Pleasanton Weekly staff) You need to stop acting like Katie was the victim here. LAUREL is, katie still has her life whether thats sitting in jail or dealing with a bad head injury. She did that to herself.

TO: "Pleasanton Resident, Pleasanton Meadows"

Pleasanton Resident, Pleasanton Resident, Pleasanton Resident... What do you not understand?

So little thought in your post, you have nothing to say!

Having nothing in your head must be sad! geez!

This will be my last visit to this blog.....I am not covering for Katie or anyone else I am trying to let everyone see that this horrible accident could have been anyone at fault...these kids do not understand the severity of their actions. They just do not understand and it will happen again once the shock has worn off. Trust me...I have seen it before.

Shelly,
Try teaching children not to drink, then they wouldn't have to wait for a cab or depend on someone else for a ride. What benefit is there
from consuming alcohol anyway?
Raise the driving age, lower the drinking age??? com'on, you can't be serious.
If you want to improve transportation within our city, then improve it for other reasons than condoning under age drinking.
FYI....I,ve made my thoughts known regarding this tragedy on prior comments, you should take a look at other comments, you might understand that this problem can't be corrected by improving transportation.

I think it is worth our while to ask ourselves why alcohol abuse is much lower in countries where the parents teach their children responsible drinking habits early on rather than making it a taboo. I think there are even studies out talking about this subject, but all I could find at the moment was this one: Web Link

"Cultures that accept responsible social drinking as a normal part of life have less alcohol abuse than cultures that fear and condemn alcohol. ... Positive socialization of children begins with parental models of responsible drinking, but such modeling is often undermined by prohibitionist messages in school. Indeed, alcohol phobia in the US is so extreme that physicians are afraid to advise patients about safe levels of drinking."

How many of you have said to your teens - or were told by your own parents - to simply call if they or a friend needed a ride home when they'd been drinking too much, with no questions asked? I know my folks told me that, and I've said the same to my boys. Honestly, though, do many kids ever take their parents up on it? Not likely, due to the fact they don't want to deal with the lecture or grounding they still figure they'll get despite the "no questions asked" guarantee. I wish we could find a way to keep kids away from alcohol and drugs completely, but it's not a realistic objective. Many years ago Amsterdam pioneered the needle exchange program when local government realized they couldn't stop people from shooting up. They weren't condoning it, but they figured it was better to control the spread of disease from dirty needles than wage a war they couldn't win. What if groups of students who don't drink - and want to have a positive impact in the community - put themselves on a contact list for rides? I'm not talking about designated drivers, because sadly many of them are simply "the least drunk" person in the group. Rather, I'm talking about kids who may not even be in another kid's peer group, but simply is willing to be called when another student needs a ride. It's just a thought, and I know it'd need some fine tuning, but if it worked...

Dear AD:
I know you said that you would not visit this blog again, but I am thinking you might just read it anyway. I wonder what it is that you are trying to say? Are you saying that it could have just as easily been Laurel driving the car that Saturday morning? That all the teenagers were making mistakes together that morning and Katie is the only one who got caught? Are you serious? Katie is personally responsible for her actions that, in turn, killed someone. Whether or not someone supplied the alcohol, dropped them off at their car, or was drinking with her, Katie was driving the car that killed her friend. Period. Personal responsiblity.

Concerned parent of another pleasanton neighborhood, I don't know who you are or where you are getting your information but even if LAUREL was alive for a short time do you really think this needs to be posted on this website for her family to read. I'm sure they already know but have some decency and respect.

And by the way if you didn't catch it earlier in the blog, or in the articles or in hearing rumors, her name is LAUREL not Lauren You are so concerned about getting justice for this family yet you can't even get the beautiful girl's name right.

I am sure that the police already know what the blood alcohol level of these girls was that morning but they are waiting for a full toxicology report to absolutely make sure they are correct before giving information to the public. Instead of being concerned about both families, you people just seem to be nosy, the police know how this horrible tragedy has affected this entire community and the surrounding communities and are just making sure they are doing everything right, give them some time.

This has nothing to do with who Katie knows in the community I don't think the bloggers that are saying this know what they are talking about, they are just spouting off in anger. Katie will get punished for this if it turns out to be that she was under the influence.

No disrespect to anybody especially Laurel and her family but everybody is blaming Katie for this horrible accident and don't get me wrong she does need to take some of the blame if the facts come out to be that she was under the influence, but we have all been taught and taught others that you do not get into the car with somebody who has been drinking. Laurel was an adult and was capable of making her own decisions that day as well and I truly believe if it had been Laurel's car there that day instead of Katie's, she would have drove as well.

I am sure that Katie is not at home resting comfortably, she has to deal with the fact that her best friend is dead from horrible decisions that were made on both of their parts, and she is going to deal with that for the rest of her life.

I understand that anger is a part of grieving but we have to keep in mind that Katie is a human being and she does have feelings like the rest of us.

Both families and the 70-year old woman are in my thoughts and prayers everyday. To Laurel's family and friends, I am so sorry for your loss.

The problem in our town includes the fact that there is rarely procescution. We lost a beautiful young man, Joel, just over a year ago and while alcohol was questionable...speed was not. The driver was flying down Foothill at 70mph and did not recieve the necessary punishment of "reckless driving" and possible manslaughter. Word had it that no one wanted to traumatize the driver/friend of Joel. Sadly, he continues to point the finger away from himself, his choices and actions.

We need to hold these kids (and adults, too) accountable for their choices. Until then, no one will worry about DUI's. Loosing loved ones doesn't seem enough of a deterrant.

This earlier posting <<<This unfortunate and tragic accident could have happened to anyone. Right now the most important thing is to allow these 2 families their privacy to deal with what has happened and to pray for their strength to cope in this unbelievably tragic situation.>>> forgets that it is THREE families affected, not two. An even more innocent 70 year old lady is recovering from critical injuries.

To "I Wonder" you are so right about the whiteness of our town and how we perceive our children. They are SO wonderful and we can only praise them and build them up...to the detriment of character sometimes! If this had been a driver of minority, or God forbid an illegal alien driver - you can imagine the uproar and furor that would ensue.

Thanks for bringing that point to light.

We've had a lot of talk about alcohol in this investigation and thread but I'd like to add one more thing. Drugs. (Portion removed by PW staff)

Hopefully the blood tests won't be limited to alcohol levels but will also look for dany drugs.

So much for freedom of speech and censorship. I've just learned that ((((portion removed by PW staff)))) means whole thoughts can be edited. Parents, children and all members of our community and all communities need to be aware that drub use needs to be considered along with alcohol. Time to wake up to this over indulged society.

How do you know if any drugs were involved with these girls? Do you party with them or supply it? Why don't you keep the rumors to yourself....If you have not seen it for yourself, don't spread info that is not true.

I don't know that any drugs are involved but I do know (no blinders on here) that there is a lot of drug usage in this community, just like so many communities around this country. I hope the blood tests test for both drugs and alcohol and not just the alcohol that everyone is bent on focusing on.

You are sick to imply that because I suggest looking into drug usage I must party with teens and/or supply it. I don't build "friendships with teens. I prefer to stay the observing and overseeing parent. One who has eyes in the back of my head and uses my ears regularly.

As a fellow highschool parent you clearly have teens. Wake up. You can't arbitrarily rule out one thing over another and potentially miss an accident causing factor.

Hmmm....why do you call them rumors? What is it that you know?

In case we all forgot, alcohol is considered a drug.

How about everyone just stop.

Realize what actually happened here, we all know what has happened, and what needs to be done.
But, the politics need to leave.  How about we hang tight and see what happens.  I mean come on, bickering back and forth about someones death and someones decision.
Let Laurel RIP, and please, no body wants to hear all of this non-sense.

Justice needs to take place, that is why everyone has concerns. This is taking a lot longer than what it should. There needs to be some closure to this and it is taking more time that what it should. If there is politics than hopefully there will be prosecution and to fire all those who partake in not doing their jobs properly and effectively. People are not stupid to see that there is something very fishy about this case. It is sad to see such a well rounded and financially stable community have such poor emergency service from the Police Department and Emergency Response. I would think with everything our community has to offer and provide, that funds have not been implemented in areas of this concern. I hope there are many prosecutions to all of those in this case that have not done their jobs properly, and the person who was responsible for this tragedy.

My prayers to Laurels family and to Katie's family.

My concerns to everyone involved in this case who are taking their time in serving justice in this case. The moral obligation to justice sits on your shoulders.

Jane,

Sometimes justice needs to take time. Rushing things can let a criminal go free.

I have been following this case since it occurred and have just read the majority of the comments here. Let me add a few of my own.

1. This was not an accident. It was a crash, Katie made a conscious decision (if that term can be used for a person with a BAC almost 3 times the legal limit) to get behind the wheel of that car and drive.

2. It is illegal for a person under 21 to drink.

3. It is illegal to supply alcohol to a person under 21.

4. It is illegal for a person under 21 to drive with ANY alcohol in their blood.

5. It takes time to conduct a thorough investigation in a case with as many different aspects as this one.

6. About 14,000 people are killed and 500,ooo injured each year in this country in alcohol related crashes. Do you see the public or press screaming about this preventable loss of life? Compare that number to the highly publisized issues of the war, AIDS, SARS, Ebola, Bird Flu, poisoning by Chinese toys, etc. It is a sad commentary on American society that we allow ths year after year.

7. Drunk driving must be made unacceptable in our society. Accepting the behavior or feeling sorry for those who do makes us guilty also.

8. A clear message should be sent to all youth - Don't drink! This has to be communicated uniformly by parents, schools, police, and the District Attorney.

9. Underage persons caught drinking need to be punished and receive counseling/treatment.

10. Any one of us could have been in the place of the woman in the other vehicle. More than likely the large size of her vehicle saved her from death also.

11. If anyone here is truly outraged at this crash, the high rate of DUI, and underage drinking they will support and join the organization which has made the most impact in these areas, Mother's Against Drunk Driving. www.madd.org Put your actions and money where your mouth is and make a difference!!!

just heard that they arrested Katie...while it is so sad that this has happened, it should put some closure to those that want justice. Remember Katie is someones daughter too, and that mother is going through as much hell as Laurels mom. This is a tragedy. Two girls doing stupid things, how sad.

call that went through was 9:58 am ....3 minutes later emergency vehicles were on W. Los Positas about to make the right turn onto Foothill, I know this because I saw it.

Katie's mother is "going through as much hell as Laurel's"!
Get in touch with reality lady!
Laurel's mother will never see her daughter acheive her goals, get married, or have children, to name just a few things. She will never fully recover from losing her child.
While Katie's parents (why doesn't anyone ever recognize the fathers?) are also victims of their daughters actions they will still have her on this earth with them, and she will be able to resume a more or less normal life when she is released from prison.

I pray that you will never be put in her situation and learn the true reality of losing a child.

Hal you misinterpreted what I said, which is the usual problem with such a tragedy. What I was saying was that both these "parents" have lost. One has lost a child forever and another child is lost forever. She will never be the same, she doesn't even remember what happened much less know what is going on. Her life and her families will never be the same. Neither family will be able to move on and continue in what was their normal life, it is never going to be normal again. I was saying that this is not fair for either family, mothers and fathers and siblings. It is a tragedy a terrible tragedy and no one that knew either family will be the same!

Katie was charged with GROSS VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER, with a blood alchohol level that was three times over the legal limit.

What bothers me is that she was not even at home with her mother or father when they arrested her, she was in Berkeley.

Again, no one plans on these things happening, but she knew she was drunk, so did Laurel, we can't grasp the concept of why Laurel did not call someone, anyone... Or why the person that took the girls to the car did not take Laurel home... to many Whys...

We love you Laurel. And Katie, we do feel for your situation, but are torn because of so many factors that could have prevented this from happening.

"justified", where are you getting your information from? Are you sure these are really valid facts? You should make sure your facts are correct before making comments for everyone to read.

I have to agree with Hal. How dare anyone compare the agony of Laurel's family to the pain and misery of Katie's.

Also, to "been there", thank you for a concise summary and suggestions as to how to get involved. This problem is HUGE in our society and we do need to begin to put it nearer to the top of the list. People losing their lives to such a preventable cause.

This is one person who will take that step and start supporting MADD.

Shelley, we know alcohol is considered a drug but for the purposes of these investigations the police and investigators refer to alcohol as 'alcohol' not 'drugs's. That comment was to ask our community to consider that drugs are almost as rampant in our community as alcohol is.

Mac - Studies show that alcohol is abused six times more often by teens than all other illegal drugs combined.

Justified - As to all your 'why' questions; they all have one answer - alcohol induced bad judgement.

PPD knows who supplied the alcohol, we can only hope they and the DA do the right thing and impose the appropriate punishment. This portion of underage drinking is too often left unpunished.

Been There - I know the statistics about alcohol and drugs. It appeared that this community didn't understand the fact that there is sizeable drug usage in our teen community. Unfortunately the P.W. staff has deleted my original comments on drugs but the point was that the police should test for everything and hopefully not just focus on alcohol.

We need to keep our minds open in order to deal with these problems.

Mac, I hope you read the article from yesterday, because it says no other drugs were in her system, so they obviously, and I think that it's probably procedure, tested for other drugs.

Excellent. I'm sure it is procedure and am glad to hear it was addressed.

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?