Leisure World Woman Pleads Guilty in Fatal DUI Crash

A 76-year-old woman pleaded guilty today in a drunken driving crash at Seal Beach's Leisure World retirement community that killed an 86-year-old man on a battery-operated scooter.

Dale Snyder Quinn pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. She negotiated a plea bargain with prosecutors for the May 20 crash that killed Robert Dillon.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard King sentenced Quinn to 10 years of formal probation, which can revert to informal probation in five years. Quinn was also sentenced to eight days in jail and ordered to do 200 hours of community service, avoid all social activities at Leisure World that the victim's widow attends and refrain from driving for 10 years as well as drinking alcohol.

Quinn also agreed to pay $6,826 in restitution.

The DMV can only suspend or revoke Quinn's license for up to three years, so the court order is more strict, Quinn's attorney Allan Stokke said.

Quinn also agreed to do two speeches at Leisure World annually on the dangers of drinking and driving and will attend alcoholics anonymous meetings.

If Quinn violates probation she could face up to 10 years in prison, King warned her.

Dillon's daughters and widow offered emotional testimonials about the victim and explained how difficult it is for them to continue to see Quinn in the community following her arrest.

"I lost a husband of 52 years and it was a nightmare for all of us as he lay in the trauma center for eight days," Dillon's widow, Eunice, told the judge. "I miss his tremendous sense of humor."

Dillon was a "very talented wood carver," whose work can be seen throughout the retirement community, his wife said.

Eunice Dillon described the pain of seeing Quinn "laughing and playing poker" in a clubhouse following the collision.

"It just seems so unfair because we easily could have had five to 10 years left together," Eunice Dillon said. "I guess it's OK for old people to drink and drive because they don't put them in jail."

Daughter Ruth Ann Young said her father was active and well respected in the community.

"He was far more active than most 86-year-olds," Young said."We lost a really good one here."

Robert Dillon was "very patriotic" and actively involved in the American Legion, Young said.

Quinn, who was teary-eyed throughout the hearing, apologized to the family.

"I just want to say how very, very sorry I am, how terribly sorry I am," Quinn said. "I pray for you all every day and will for the rest of my life. I am so sorry, so sorry."

A drunken Quinn got behind the wheel of her car, which slammed into Dillon as he was crossing the street at St. Andrews Drive and Tam O'Shanter Road in the Leisure World complex in Seal Beach on his battery-operated scooter.

Dillon died eight days after the collision.

Quinn had a blood-alcohol content of .22 percent, well above the legal limit of .08, an hour after the crash.

- City News Service