New charges filed in connection with Fresno cyclist's 2022 death

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The man accused of hitting and killing a Fresno cyclist appeared in a Fresno County courtroom on Friday.

Adela Santana was cycling with friends on Watts Valley Road near Sanger in October 2022.

With the 51-year-old leading the pack, her friends say a speeding car crossed the double-yellow line and hit Santana head-on.

"She had a helmet on, she didn't have any earbuds in," friend Heather San Julian said. "This man drove across the double-yellow line and hit her head on. There is doubt she was totally in the right."

Authorities say Johnson Chang was behind the wheel of the car that hit her.

After nearly a year of police investigation, prosecutors charged him with a misdemeanor in September.

But on Thursday, the District Attorney's office filed a new complaint obtained by Action News.

What was a misdemeanor is now a felony vehicular manslaughter charge. Chang also faces violations for crossing the center line and driving too fast.

The updated counts come as the district attorney's office tells Action News they have received new information in the case.

Chang's attorney seemed to hint at that new info, telling the judge he needed more time.

"There are discovery issues in the matter for me to review in order to properly advise my client as to whether to insist on a statutory setting," defense attorney Roger Bonakdar said.

The judge granted the delay to March 12th, meaning Chang did not have to enter a new plea on Friday.

It all comes as the victim's friends remember Santana as a loving mother of five, wife, and avid cyclist. She loved the outdoors and taught at Fresno State and Clovis Community College.

"Anybody that she came across, she had a huge impact on," friend Tracey Dunn said. "A great loss to the world, to society that this person's life was lost in such a horrific way."

The felony charge against Chang carries a maximum of six years in prison. Chang also faces a civil lawsuit filed by Santana's family.

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