Mill Valley man charged in Strawberry DUI case

A Mill Valley man with prior convictions for intoxicated driving and hit-and-run driving is facing a new DUI case following an arrest in Strawberry, authorities said.

William Clint Stock, 68, was arrested at about 11:15 a.m. Aug. 24 after a sheriff’s deputy received a report of an erratic driver with a flat tire on Seminary Drive near the Redwood Highway Frontage Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver pulled the 2002 Porsche 911 into the parking lot of the 7-Eleven store in Strawberry. The sheriff’s department contacted the CHP to screen the driver for possible intoxication.

Two preliminary tests registered blood-alcohol content levels of 0.29 and 0.27%, according to a complaint filed by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office. The legal limit for driving is 0.08%.

Stock was released from jail after posted bail. He failed to appear for his arraignment on Sept. 14, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest, according to court records. Stock surrendered to the jail on Monday.

Stock was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, said Aaron Bortel, his defense attorney. Bortel declined to comment on the case because he is still waiting for reports from the prosecution.

Stock was no longer in custody at the county jail on Wednesday. Reached by phone, he declined to comment on the allegations, referring questions to his lawyer. His next court appearance is set for Nov. 14 before Judge Paul Haakenson.

The criminal complaint says Stock’s record includes a 2019 DUI case that resulted in a conviction on Sept. 28, 2020.

His record also includes a 2009 crash in Novato that led to the death of an 86-year-old woman. He was initially charged with felony hit-and-run causing great bodily injury and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter stemming from an unsafe lane change. Haakenson agreed to reduce the hit-and-run count to a misdemeanor and gave Stock a 29-day jail sentence. Authorities did not allege intoxication as a factor in the crash.

The victim was Petaluma resident Frances Torney, who died at a hospital about two weeks after the crash. An investigation by the coroner’s office concluded that she died of a massive stroke and complications of a neck injury stemming from the crash. The crash also injured the driver, 23-year-old Celeste Hoffman of Forestville, and her mother, 50-year-old Anne Torney of Forestville.

Stock is a former lawyer and a former regulatory affairs executive for Pacific Gas & Electric Co.