A Port Hueneme woman has been charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated following a fatal crash on Highway 246 west of Buellton Friday night.

Sheri Ann Craig, 51, was arrested after the single-vehicle rollover crash on the 7600 block of Highway 246 that killed one passenger and injured another.

Craig was driving eastbound and for unknown reasons, the vehicle drifted into the dirt center median and overturned several times, the California Highway Patrol said.

The right front passenger in the vehicle, identified as Dan Davis, suffered fatal injuries in the crash, the CHP said. His age and hometown were not available as of Wednesday.

Craig sustained minor injuries, as did another passenger, George Martinez, 59, of Oxnard, the CHP said.

On Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office charged Craig with two felonies: vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs causing injury. She also faces two enhancements for multiple victims and causing great bodily injury.

She made her first Santa Maria Superior Court appearance Wednesday morning and entered a not-guilty plea.

Her next court hearing is Thursday morning in Judge John McGregor’s courtroom to set a date for the preliminary hearing.

Craig remains in custody of Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

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On June 19, Santa Ynez High Principal Mark Swanitz’s 2018-19 employment contract was on the school board meeting agenda. The contract included another 4 percent salary increase, and total compensation of $191,305.22.

Principal Swanitz was a no-show at the board meeting. Three out of five board members attended. Board member Jerry Swanitz, Principal Swanitz’s father, had to recuse himself from voting because of his conflict of interest. Without a quorum, the item was postponed until the Aug. 21 board meeting.

Should the board be rewarding Principal Swanitz with a raise given his recent DUI arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol? The complaint listed his blood-alcohol content at 0.12 percent. A 0.08 percent BAC is legally impaired and it’s illegal to drive at this level. Research concludes, “a 0.10 – 0.12% BAC causes significant impairment to motor coordination and good judgment. Speech may be slurred. Balance, vision, reaction time and hearing will be impaired, and probably not thinking straight.”

School officials maintained radio silence immediately after Swanitz’s DUI arrest. Questions swirled; did the board really hire a public relations consultant rather than demanding Swanitz be put on administrative leave immediately?Numerous drunken-driving deaths in the Santa Ynez Valley involve teenagers. The district should expect far greater standards from its veteran administrator who makes disciplinary decisions involving teens, drugs and alcohol, some resulting in suspension or expulsion from school.

This year, the board slashed teaching positions and supplies to address the structural budget deficit, which currently is $397,602. Administrator salaries are increasing more than teacher salaries. It’s baffling that a school board member, even someone with the name Swanitz, has not suggested to the principal that he should just walk away for the sake of the kids.

I urge you to contact Superintendent Scott Cory at scory@syvuhsd.org and request that he forward your concerns to board members Jan Clevenger, Kyle Abello, Jerry Swanitz, Christine Burtness and Steve Foley. Urge them to vote responsibly on Aug. 21 and not renew Principal Swanitz’s contract or deny his raise for total compensation of almost $200,000. Otherwise, the message is simply arrogance, and the students are taught exactly the wrong lesson. Such a shame.

Michelle de Werd

Los Olivos

The post Letter to the Editor appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Several Buellton residents reported seeing a green truck driving away after striking several cars on Valley Dairy Road around 9:10 p.m. on Monday, June 18. At least one vehicle was heavily damaged, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.

A vigilant citizen directed Deputies to a motel in the 500 block of Avenue of the Flags where they had seen the suspect vehicle.

Photo contributed

The driver of the vehicle, 37-year-old Stuart McInnes of Buellton, was contacted by deputies at the motel. Deputies conducted a driving under the influence (DUI) investigation which revealed that McInnes’ blood alcohol content (BAC) was more than twice the legal limit. McInnes was arrested and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail for driving while intoxicated. Fortunately, no one was injured during this incident.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Buellton community members who helped locate this driver. Their diligence likely prevented more damage and possible injury.

The post Multiple vehicles damaged in Buellton due to DUI driver appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Noozhawk North County Editor

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School principal accused of drunken driving has entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor charge in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

Mark Swanitz, 51, entered the no-contest plea to misdemeanor driving with a blood-alcohol level more than 0.08 percent through his attorney, William Redell, on Feb. 13.

In separate punishment handed down by the school district, Swanitz agreed to use his arrest to help educate students and others about the dangers of drinking and driving, among several actions required due to his arrest.

For the purposes of court sentencing, Judge Gustavo Lavayen found Swanitz guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before handing down the punishment that included three years of informal probation and a suspended sentence of 60 days in county jail.

If Swanitz completes probation successfully, he won’t have to serve the time in jail.

Swanitz was arrested Oct. 21 after a non-injury collision caused by another driver making a left turn on Highway 246 between Solvang and Buellton, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Redell previously entered not-guilty pleas on Swanitz’s behalf for two misdemeanor charges — driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater.

The criminal complaint listed his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash as 0.12.

Other terms of the deal include attending a three-month class, paying a $1,690 fine and not drinking alcohol for a year, Redell added.

Austin Ingalls represented the District Attorney’s Office for the case.

“The crime of driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol level occurs when someone makes the decision to get into a car and drive after consuming enough alcohol to have a blood alcohol level over the legal limit,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Gresser.

“As every defendant convicted of this crime is advised, being under the influence of alcohol impairs a person’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, and it is extremely dangerous to human life for anyone to drive while under the influence of alcohol,” she added. “As such, our office is committed to enforcing this law.”

A misdemeanor count for driving while under the influence of alcohol was dismissed under the plea deal, which Redell said is typical for a defendant in a first-time DUI case.

“He just didn’t want to fight it anymore,” Redell said of his client’s decision to change his plea.

Redell said he believes Swanitz had a strong defense, noting the readings show his blood-alcohol level was rising and contends it likely was .08 at the time of crash.

Swanitz was en route to a fundraiser and had had a couple of beers, one of which he reportedly consumed quickly prior to heading to the event, Redell said.

It was Swanitz who called the California Highway Patrol to report the accident, Redell added.

Additionally, a CHP officer asked Swanitz to move his vehicle at the scene of the crash, the attorney added.

“I can tell you the requirements from the school were much more severe, and he’s adhering to that as well,” Redell said.

The principal has remained on the job, with district leaders saying they must ensure Swanitz’s due-process rights were not violated.

“Last fall, Mr. Swanitz made a very negatively impactful decision to drink and drive,” Superintendent Scott Cory said. “It is an indefensible and inexcusable decision. Educational leaders in particular should be held to a very high standard and model good behavior at all times, whether on or off the job.

“The SYVUHSD board of education knows Mr. Swanitz’ actions are in no way acceptable, and this incident sends exactly the opposite message we want to convey as a school district regarding drinking and driving,” Cory added.

As a result of his arrest, Swanitz has agreed to the following steps:

• Work with People Helping People to establish an appropriate community service audience (drug and alcohol related) for 40 hours of community service work.
• Donate 10 days of net pay to his school’s PTSA’s Sober Grad Committee.
• Meet with all senior students prior to Prom 2018 and share this incident with them as a cautionary advice against drinking and driving.
• Participate in 20 hours of a district-approved alcohol rehabilitation program to be paid for by Swanitz.
• Work with CHP to schedule the Every 15 Minutes program for the earliest possible date and work with them to include Swanitz’s story in the opening assembly.
• Remain open to using his experience as a teachable moment in other situations as they arise.

Swanitz has been principal since 2010 at the school, which he graduated from in 1985. He previously spent four years as principal at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta.

The post Swanitz pleads no-contest in DUI case appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

A Solvang man was arrested on DUI charges late Monday night after crashing his pickup truck into several parked vehicles on Foothill Road near Santa Barbara, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Emergency personnel responded shortly after 11:30 p.m. to the crash on Foothill Road near La Combadura Road, the CHP said.

The pickup driven by Alan Michael Fleckenstein, 31, slammed into two cars and a motorcycle, which were parked and unoccupied at the time, said CHP Officer Jonathan Gutierrez.

Fleckenstein, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, reportedly was detained by citizens in the area prior to the arrival of law enforcement.

He was taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, then booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on misdemeanor drunken-driving charges, Gutierrez said.

His bail was set at $10,000.

Fleckenstein was the only occupant of the pickup, Gutierrez said.

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. 

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