A San Francisco man who authorities said was responsible for the death of a Marysville woman in January 2021 after a high-speed collision in Marysville, was found guilty by a Yuba County jury on Tuesday of second degree murder, among other charges.
According to Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry, Dominik Oshay Cash was found guilty of the second degree murder of Dawn Loralee Ritter of Marysville. Cash also was found guilty of charges that included reckless evasion, fleeing the scene of a collision, felon in possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, vandalism, and driving on a suspended license. Cash is currently being held without bail pending his sentencing. Curry said Cash faces a potential 21 years to life prison sentence.
Cash, who was 28 at the time, was arrested in January 2021 after he reportedly traveled south on Highway 70 at speeds of over 100 miles per hour and passed double yellow lines. He then entered Marysville at high speeds into the intersection of B Street and Ninth Street, the Appeal previously reported. He reportedly ran a red light and then broadsided a vehicle heading east on Ninth Street. Ritter was killed in the collision.
“The incident began shortly after 11 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2021, when CHP-Oroville Officer Paul Vue attempted to stop Cash on SR-70 south of Oroville for speeding,” Curry said. “Unknown to Officer Vue at the time, Cash, a convicted felon, had a loaded 9mm handgun on the seat next to him, and multiple warrants for his arrest for reckless high-speed chases he had done in San Francisco, Solano, and Placer counties.”
Curry said Cash fled from Vue in his 2004 Toyota Solara with speeds that, at times, exceeded 135 mph over a distance of about 19 miles.
“Cash drove recklessly, crossing over the double-yellow center line on multiple occasions and nearly colliding head-on with northbound traffic,” Curry said. “Several officers from CHP-Yuba-Sutter responded to the area in an effort to intercept Cash before he entered the city of Marysville. CHP Officers Fuentes and Klippel observed Cash driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph and took up the pursuit as he passed by them near Silva Avenue. As Cash passed by CHP Officers Quigley and Eckerfield at 106 mph, they too activated their Code-3 lights and sirens and joined the pursuit.”
Because of the “extreme danger Cash posed to the community,” Curry said a spike strip was deployed to stop Cash’s vehicle.
“CHP Officers Rishel and (Terry) Uhrich were able to successfully spike the vehicle just south of Laurellen, but Cash continued driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph as he entered the city of Marysville,” Curry said. “Seconds after Sergeant Howard joined the pursuit on B Street, Cash ran a red light and crashed into a Toyota Tacoma driven by Dawn Loralee Ritter as she was completing a left turn from Ninth Street. The force of the impact crushed the cab of Ms. Ritter’s truck, killing her instantly.”
According to evidence presented at the trial, Ritter’s truck overturned and came to a rest on its roof along the east sidewalk of B Street south of the intersection with Ninth Street. After the crash, Cash fled officers on foot after his vehicle came to a rest in the northbound lane of B Street.
“Law enforcement officers from the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office, Marysville Police Department, and CHP set a perimeter and searched for Cash,” Curry said. “Cash ran, but he couldn’t hide. Officers CHP Valley Air Division aboard helicopter H-24, spotted Cash jumping over fences and running through yards of nearby residences. The officers aboard H-24 directed the officers on the ground to Cash’s hiding spot on top of an apartment building. Cash also physically resisted arrest, but was ultimately taken into custody and booked into the Yuba County Jail.”
Curry said 24 different witnesses testified during the trial, including some who “escaped death by mere seconds as they drove in front of and behind Ms. Ritter at the time of the collision.”
One witness, Jason Williams, testified that he was driving a car directly in front of Ritter.
“Immediately after making the turn onto B Street, Williams felt the shockwave of Cash’s car flying by him, describing it like being passed by a semi-truck on the freeway,” Curry said. “Williams saw the explosion of debris behind him with glass shards in the air like glitter. Williams stopped and raced back to the scene, afraid his friend traveling behind Ms. Ritter had been hit. Williams described for the jury, breaking down in tears at seeing his friend standing in the intersection.”
After an investigation, officials determined that Cash was traveling at about 100 mph as he passed Ellis Lake and was going about 85 mph when he struck Ritter’s vehicle. A CHP officer testified that there was no evidence that Cash attempted to brake and was only slowed down because a spike strip had deflated his front right tire, Curry said.
Cash, Curry said, also had a history of evading the police.
“Pittsburg Police Officer Thomas Bryan testified about dealing with Cash in the past. He testified about a pursuit that occurred in Contra Costa County on December 19, 2017, when he attempted to stop Cash, who was driving a stolen vehicle,” Curry said. “During that pursuit, Cash drove at high speeds, cut across four lanes of traffic on a busy highway, and almost collided with an embankment before spinning his vehicle 180 degrees. Officer Bryan said he came to a stop nose-to-nose with Cash’s vehicle. Cash then drove the wrong direction up the highway, nearly colliding with oncoming traffic before exiting and escaping into the city. Officer Bryan did not pursue Cash further due to public safety concerns. Cash was later apprehended and convicted in Contra Costa County. The jury also heard evidence of a subsequent conviction for reckless evasion that occurred in Contra Costa County in May of 2018.”
Curry said Yuba County Senior Deputy District Attorney Monique McDevitt and Deputy District Attorney Brad Morrow tried the case to the jury. Uhrich served as the investigating officer.
“Thank you to Senior DDA Monique McDevitt, DDA Brad Morrow, and each of the law enforcement officers and personnel from the multiple agencies who aided in the investigation and supported Ms. Ritter’s surviving family members through this difficult process,” Curry said in a statement. “Thank you to the eye-witnesses who stayed on scene to provide a description of Cash, which led to his apprehension. Thank you to the jurors who took time out of their lives to honor their civic duty and ensure that justice was served.”
