Driver pleads not guilty in suspected crash that killed Santa Maria

A Lompoc man has pleaded not guilty in a criminal case related to an Aug. 25 fatal crash that left a Santa Maria man dead days later.

Eduardo Chavez Hernandez, 41, was charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated causing bodily injury and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher causing bodily injury.

He also faces a pair of special charges or sentencing enhancements for aggravated assault and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.15% or higher.

The criminal complaint alleges that the defendant had a BAC of 0.16% at the time of the accident.

Santa Maria Police is said to be suspected in the Aug. 25 head-on crash that killed another driver in Santa Maria.

Matthew Venable, 60, of Santa Maria, died on August 30, five days after he and another person were seriously injured in a crash on Skyway DriveSanta Maria police said.

On August 25, at approximately 01:15, the staff of the village Santa Maria Police and fire Departments were dispatched to a collision on Skyway Drive at Auto Park Drive, Santa Maria firefighters said.

American Medical Answer An ambulance was also dispatched to the scene.

According to Santa Maria firefighters, one driver was trapped in the vehicle as a result of the crash and had to be extricated.

After Hernandez’s vehicle failed to negotiate a curve onto Skyway Drive, it reportedly crossed into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with Venable’s vehicle.

The passenger in Hernandez’s car suffered moderate injuries that required stitches for a laceration to the head.

Hernandez was arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and causing serious injury.

He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on $100,000 bond and released on bond hours after the crash.

The application for a criminal offense was filed at the beginning of October Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, and Hernandez made his first court appearance on October 23.

The case is scheduled to return to court on November 21, when lawyers and the judge can set a preliminary hearing date.

Hernandez remains free on $100,000 bail but has been ordered to participate in a program to wear an electronic alcohol monitoring device.