Investigators say phone records showed a pornography website was accessed less than two minutes before the three-vehicle collision.
LEVAN, Utah — A Los Angeles County woman has been charged with a second-degree felony in connection with a June crash on Interstate 15 that killed a Utah man after investigators examined her cellphone activity, according to court documents and Utah authorities.
Christine Chao, 44, of Rosemead, was charged Tuesday in Utah’s 4th District Court with automobile homicide involving the use of a wireless communication device. The charge stems from a June 12 collision on northbound I-15 in Juab County, where traffic had slowed because of ongoing construction. Prosecutors allege Chao’s vehicle struck the back of another vehicle, setting off a three-vehicle crash that forced all three off the roadway.
The passenger in the vehicle Chao first struck was identified by Utah authorities as Scott LaVar Lichfield, 66, of Fillmore. Lichfield was critically injured in the collision and died from his injuries. His death turned an investigation into the circumstances of the crash into a criminal case that prosecutors filed more than four months later.
Charging documents say two vehicles ahead of Chao were traveling at reduced speeds as traffic approached the construction area. Chao’s vehicle struck the rearmost one, pushing it into the vehicle directly ahead. Utah Highway Patrol investigators reported that they did not see brake marks on the roadway indicating that Chao had slowed before the collision.
Authorities also seized Chao’s cellphone after the crash and obtained a warrant to examine it. According to the charging documents, investigators determined that the phone had accessed a website commonly used to view pornographic videos less than two minutes before the collision. The available court information does not establish precisely what Chao was viewing at the moment of impact, and the allegation will be subject to review in court.
Court documents also say Chao told responding officers after the crash that she was at fault. That statement, the roadway evidence and the information recovered from her phone are among the facts prosecutors cited in bringing the felony case. The charge remains an allegation, and prosecutors will have to prove the elements of the offense through the court process.
The case highlights the role digital records can play in reconstructing the moments before a serious traffic collision. Investigators did not rely solely on the physical crash scene. They sought judicial authorization to examine Chao’s phone, then used the resulting data as part of the evidence cited in the criminal filing months after the crash.
Chao has been ordered to appear in Utah for a Nov. 17 court date, according to prosecutors. No conviction has been entered, and the available reports did not identify an attorney speaking on her behalf. The criminal case will determine whether prosecutors can prove that her alleged phone use and driving met the requirements of Utah’s automobile homicide law.
Author note: Last updated October 22, 2026.