Driver with four children in car arrested for suspicion of DUI; faces multiple charges

A man is facing charges of child abuse after allegedly driving under the influence with four children in his car in Yucca Valley. On Saturday, (December 6) at around 10:30 p.m., California Highway Patrol officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Warren Way east of Old Woman Springs Road in Yucca Valley. County records show that the driver, Kevin Marmolijo, 34, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of metal knuckles. The CHP did not provide additional information about the circumstances of the arrest. On Wednesday, (December 10), Marmolijo was arraigned in San Bernardino County Superior Court, where he is facing misdemeanor charges related to the weapons possession, DUI, and four additional felony charges of "willfully causing or permitting a child to suffer." San Bernardino County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Douglas Poston said that told Z107.7 that the additional charges of child abuse were added because Marmolijo had four children int the car at the time of his arrest. He said when drivers are arrested for DUI, they are notified that it is "if you continue to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or both, and as a result of that driving, someone is killed, you can be charged with murder." Other serious charges, including child abuse, can be added as well. Several recent fatal collisions in the Morongo Basin have led to charges of murder being filed against drivers suspected of being under the influence. Lucy Barajas, a 41 year-old resident of Yucca Valley, is facing murder charges after allegedly driving under the influence and hitting two men on August 12. Poston said that every DUI case is different and "evaluated by its own facts" with appropriate charges filed related to those facts. Kevin Marmolijo was arraigned on Wednesday on, two misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, on misdemeanor charge of possessing a controlled substance, one charge of being in possession of metal knuckles, and four felony charges of child abuse. He pleaded "not guilty" to all eight charges.