Motorist pleads not guilty to DUI in head-on crash that injured father, daughter

By Neal Putnam

A Ramona motorist faces an Oct. 16 preliminary hearing on charges he drove under the influence of alcohol in a Sept. 27 head-on crash that injured a father and daughter.

John Ryan Mantz, 21, has pleaded not guilty to the charges that also allege he was driving with a suspended driver’s license in the 8:10 p.m. collision at Ramona Oaks and San Vicente roads.

The Ford F-150 truck Mantz was driving crashed into a Hyundai driven by Paul Stevens, and his 9-year-old daughter, Cheyenne Stevens, of Ramona. All three were taken to a hospital to treat injuries. It is alleged that Mantz inflicted great bodily injury to the father and daughter.

California Highway Patrol said the truck veered across the divided section about 50 mph when it struck the Hyundai, which was traveling at approximately 30 mph.

El Cajon Superior Court Judge Charles Ervin set bail at $100,000. Mantz remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility.