Records reveal suspect’s history of dangerous driving before deadly Marysville crash

Nearly one year after a head-on crash in Marysville killed three people and severely injured two others, a driver is now facing felony charges.Following the crash on Highway 70 on June 14, 2025, Christopher Rodgers, 42, is charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter and two counts of reckless driving on a highway causing injury, one count for each victim.In court on Wednesday, Rodgers pleaded guilty to all charges in exchange for an agreement that he would face no more than one year in jail and then probation. Should he violate probation, he could then be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.KCRA 3 Investigates also discovered that Rodgers already had a history of dangerous driving before this.“It's been brutal, honestly. It has been brutal,” said Jen Mallinson of Oroville.Her 17-year-old son, Michael Mallinson Jr., was killed in the crash.“We never thought this would be our life, having to go to the cemetery to feel close to our son,” she said.Michael was headed home that day in 2025 with his best friend, his best friend's sister, her husband and the couple's 1-year-old son after a weekend trip to Sacramento.“So, there's five in the vehicle,” said his father, Michael Mallinson, Sr.They were on Highway 70, just north of E 24th Street, when a pickup truck veered into their lane and hit them head-on, according to Marysville police.“I just felt in that moment everything changed. It's like the world was different,” Jen said.The crash killed her teenage son; the driver, Clint Jon Waddell; and Waddell’s wife, Salma Julissa Ramirez-Lujano."Both parents gone. Baby will never know his mother and father," Michael Sr. said.The baby and Michael Jr.’s best friend, Daniel Paredes, suffered serious injuries but survived.“I remember just having my AirPods in and just looking to the left and just seeing a car bumper and then everything just turned pitch black,” Paredes said. “I went into a coma for a week.”The recovery has been difficult, both physically and emotionally.“It doesn't feel real. I lost so many people at once,” Paredes said.“Our families are definitely forever connected now,” Michael Sr. said.The two families are connected in their past trauma and in their future fight for justice.“We’re tired of this. We've got to take greater care in our driving,” Michael Sr. said.The Mallinson family shared the crash report with KCRA 3 Investigates.In the report, police wrote that Rodgers told them "he was tired because it was a long drive home," and "it was possible he blacked out or possibly fell asleep."Police did not find alcohol or drugs in his system, but they also did not find evidence that Rodgers ever tried to hit the brakes.“This isn't his first, you know, his first mistake. He's had a laundry list of them,” Michael Sr. said.KCRA 3 Investigates got records that show on May 17, 2025, California Highway Patrol arrested Rodgers near Plumas Lake after a single-car crash.Nearly one month later, on June 13, 2025, he was charged in that crash with driving drunk.And just one day later, on June 14, 2025, he was involved in the deadly Marysville crash.The DMV tells KCRA 3 Investigates that the agency “is required to suspend or revoke the driver’s license of any person arrested for DUI,” an action that would take effect “30 days from the date a law enforcement officer gives a notice of suspension or revocation.”That means Rodgers had a valid driver's license at the time of the deadly crash because it was still within that 30-day window. It was just two days later, on June 16, 2025, that the DMV told KCRA it suspended his license.“Every single day, I’ve relived the accident,” Jen said. “There's no closure, no justice.”The family waited for almost one year before Rodgers was arrested in connection with the crash that killed Michael, Jon and Salma. “This is what we've been fighting for,” Michael Sr. said.Rodgers had his arraignment on April 22, 2026, and the family learned from prosecutors that Rodgers had a more extensive history than they thought.“This is someone who has terrorized the roads of California for nearly 20 years,” said Kristina Joslin, a Yuba County Deputy District Attorney.In addition to the latest allegations tied to the deadly crash, she said that Rodgers had not one, but four DUI convictions.She said one occurred in 2008, two took place in 2013, and then the most recent one happened in 2025.Four technically, but that is not necessarily how it is counted in the eyes of the law.In California, unless the four convictions happen within 10 years, they won't trigger tougher penalties.So, instead of Rodgers facing a fourth-offense DUI felony and up to three years in prison, he pleaded no contest to a DUI misdemeanor and got three years of probation.“If you're getting multiple DUIs, there shouldn't be a time limit,” Michael Sr. said.However, in court, Rodgers’ attorney was quick to point out that the Marysville crash was not a DUI.“Your honor, the only thing I would add is there's no evidence that alcohol was a factor in this case or any intoxicants,” said Sukhdeep Gosal with the Yuba County Public Defender’s Office.Rodgers pleaded not guilty and wanted to get out of jail without bail. It was referred to in court as “OR,” meaning on his own recognizance.“Given the inherent danger this gentleman poses while driving while out in public, OR is inappropriate. OR is denied,” Judge Benjamin Wirtschafter said before some of the victims’ family members let out audible sighs of relief.He set bail at $300,000, and Rodgers was taken away in handcuffs.Rodgers' attorney declined an interview.This week, Rodgers changed his plea.“With the blessing of the families of the victims, my office allowed Mr. Rodgers to plead guilty to all five felonies in exchange for an agreement that he will not be sentenced immediately to state prison but given an opportunity to reform on probation,” said Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry.Rodgers’ sentencing is set for July 13 in Yuba County Superior Court. He faces anywhere from 6 months to 1 year in jail under the plea agreement.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel