Man pleads not guilty in crash that killed his mother

<p>A 22-year-old Rohnert Park man accused of killing his mother in a fatal crash when he was high on drugs pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of vehicular manslaughter.</p><p>Ryan Crowder made his first appearance since the Sept. 10 crash on Stony Point Road that killed Alma Crowder, 42, and seriously injured three other people.</p><p>Crowder, who had been bed-ridden with a broken pelvis, hip, lacerated liver and several broken limbs, was brought in by wheelchair before Judge Elliot Daum.</p><p>Daum allowed him to remain on supervised release and set a settlement conference for Dec. 9.</p><p>Outside the courtroom, Crowder said the recent removal of metal braces by doctors allowed him enough mobility to get in a car and make an appearance.</p><p>“I'm just really sore,” said Crowder, revealing a pink scar on his back where doctors worked on his liver. “It's been really hard on me, both mentally and physically.”</p><p>Crowder was driving a minivan northbound on Stony Point Road when it veered and struck an oncoming van and crashed into an embankment.</p><p>His mother died from her injuries. Ryan Crowder's brother, Jesse Crowder, 24, suffered several broken.</p><p>A Santa Rosa woman driving the other minivan, Donna Brockell, and her 5-year-old grandson suffered serious injuries in the crash. A relative said Brockell remains in a wheelchair and the 5-year-old was hospitalized for five days.</p><p>Crowder faces four felony and misdemeanor counts including driving under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine, causing great bodily injury and driving on a suspended license.</p><p>He could be sentenced to a maximum of 17 years in prison if convicted.</p>