Sacramento Man To Stand Trial For For Alleged Drunk Driving Crash That Killed His Kids, Brother-In-law In Oroville

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A Sacramento man will stand trial for an alleged drunk driving crash that killed his kids and brother-in-law.

Colby Brookman, 28, is facing charges of felony DUI and manslaughter.

The Butte County Sheriff's Office said Brookman was in Butte County Superior Court on Friday where a judge found significant evidence to put him before a jury trial.

Police records say Brookman was speeding and his blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit when he drove his truck into a canal at the end of Grand Avenue in Oroville last Easter.

His wife, J'lynne Stothers, was in the front passenger seat, while the couple's two infants – Arianna, 1, and Ava, 7 months – were in the back seat with Stothers' brother, Matthew Stothers, 32, authorities said.

Brookman had allegedly been drinking numerous beers earlier in the day and was told not to drive, but did anyway, investigators said.

According to the sheriff's office, the California Highway Patrol determined Brookman was driving at about 80 miles per hour when he reached the end of the road at the canal. The vehicle went over the levee and into the deep waters of the canal.

A witness saw Brookman and his wife swim to shore and saw Matthew Stothers struggle to reach the surface of the water before sinking below, the sheriff's office said. The bodies of Stothers and the two infants were later recovered by a search and rescue team.

Brookman's arraignment is scheduled for April 14. He is being held in the Butte County Jail without bail.