Texting driver's arraignment postponed

A 24-year-old North Hollywood man facing arraignment on felony reckless driving charges after he allegedly struck an 88-year-old Burbank woman while he was texting and driving was given more time Wednesday to find an attorney by the judge presiding over the arraignment proceedings.

Jerome Deveas was driving westbound on North Glenoaks Boulevard and made a left turn onto North Buena Vista Street at 3:40 p.m. on May 10 when he allegedly hit the woman as she was using a marked crosswalk.

After a weeks-long investigation, Burbank police detectives determined that the victim was following the law when crossing the street and Deveas’ texting “significantly contributed to the collision.”

According to Los Angeles County Superior court documents, the woman suffered serious injuries, including a bone fracture, from the accident.

She continues to recover at a rehab center, Det. Paul Orlowski said.

In April, Burbank police officers handed out 27 citations to drivers who were texting while driving during a statewide enforcement campaign.

An additional 77 citations were issued to drivers who were talking on cell phones while driving.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, drivers who use hand-held devices such as cell phones are four times more likely to get into serious crashes. Younger drivers have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

This is the first accident in Burbank involving a texting driver that did not result in a death, police officials said.