Teacher's hearing date set in Superior Court

A pre-preliminary hearing for local teacher Candie Springer was continued until Tuesday, Nov. 28, in Kern County Superior Court..

Springer, a teacher at Sequoia Elementary School, is facing charges of willful cruelty to a child, and allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle.

Springer was charged stemming from an incident on June 10 in which she gave her 15-year-old son the keys to her car for a supposedly quick trip to a store. What resulted was a joyride with her son driving a couple of friends, according to police. The driver sped through Polo Park in Bakersfield, crashed the car into a tree and fled from the police. A passenger in the vehicle died of his injuries at a local hospital; the others were hurt.

Richland Superintendent Rosa Romero said that this was a personnel matter and would not comment on Springer’s status with the district. Springer will now appear in court for the pre-preliminary hearing, with the preliminary hearing scheduled for the next day.

--Jamie Stewart