Judge to decide if defendant in Santa Rosa fatal hit-and-run will head to trial

A preliminary hearing may happen as early as next April for a Santa Rosa man charged in a fatal hit-and-run involving a motorcyclist who died days after the 2022 collision.

Charles Bernhardy appeared Wednesday in Sonoma County Superior Court and was scheduled for another pretrial hearing on April 18, according to Sonoma County Superior Court records.

If matters are finalized by then, a preliminary hearing may happen April 21 to determine if there’s enough evidence to send Bernhardy case on to trial in the death of Vance Stammer, 23.

Bernhardy, a 37-year-old Santa Rosa resident, is charged with one count each of murder and vehicular manslaughter, plus two counts each for DUI and hit-and-run.

He is being held without bail at the Sonoma County jail, records show.

The collision occurred about 9 p.m. Sept. 6 on Fountaingrove Parkway in Santa Rosa.

Stammer was taken to Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for critical injuries. He died Sept. 20 after being removed from life support.

Bernhardy was heading west on Fountaingrove when he hit Stammer’s motorcycle from behind just east of Sedgemoore Drive, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

The bike got lodged under Bernhardy’s Chevrolet Silverado. Bernhardy continued driving and struck a Honda Accord at Sedgemoore, police said.

Stammer’s TM Racing 450 FI motorcycle dislodged from beneath the pickup in a center median near Nagasawa Park, nearly 2 miles from Sedgemoore.

Police said Bernhardy drove onto the median and hit a tree and pole before going west in the eastbound lanes.

He got back into the westbound lanes before abandoning his vehicle on Mendocino Avenue, authorities added.

Bernhardy was arrested at his Santa Rosa home.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi.