BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Karim Reyad, the one-armed motorist who allegedly drove impaired and at high speeds in a deadly April crash, will remain out of custody for at least another month while he receives physical therapy for injuries to his leg.
But his time outside Lerdo Jail is rapidly closing, Judge John Oglesby said during a hearing Monday. Once Kern Medical and jail staff confirm they can provide the services Reyad needs, he’ll be taken back into custody on charges including second-degree murder.
Oglesby set a follow-up hearing for Oct. 31. By that time, he said, he wants defense counsel to provide the prosecution with Reyad’s physical therapy records.
Prosecutor Kacie Barrier had asked Reyad be immediately taken back into custody.
“I believe the purpose of letting him out has been met,” she said, referring to treatment he’s received.
Defense attorneys H.A. Sala and Forrest Miller argued their client continues to need “aggressive physical therapy,” and in a couple months the leg will require surgery.
Reyad, 18, racked up a slew of violations while behind bars, but a representative from the probation department said there had been no violations since he was released earlier this month. He’s been required to stay home with the exception of medical appointments. He’s barred from driving.
The judge said he doesn’t have an issue with Reyad remaining free for a while under those conditions, “but that window is closing.”
Reyad lives with his parents. They have attended each hearing, along with his siblings.
Also in attendance have been a number of family members of Gayla Sue Price, the woman killed in the April 18 collision with Reyad’s Dodge Charger Hellcat.
A passenger in Reyad’s car told police the Dodge hit speeds of at least 120 mph, made an illegal U-turn and traveled east on Campus Park Drive, where it swerved into opposite lanes and hit Price’s Honda Civic. Price was declared dead at the scene.
Reyad and his passenger were injured, with Reyad receiving serious injuries to a leg. He lost an arm a year earlier in a crash in which he wasn’t at fault, his attorneys said.
The passenger told police Reyad smoked marijuana from a wax pen while driving. His blood tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, according to court documents. Just a week earlier, Reyad was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired.