DUI (driving under the influence) is suspected in fatal freeway crash. An allegedly drunk Tatsukiho Sakamoto, 37 of Arcadia, ignored signs and cones indicating the 10 Freeway was closed, and drove his Toyota RAV4 through the closure, fatally striking 21-year-old road worker Connor McDermott Penhall. Penhall is son of hall of fame motorcycle racer and actor Bruce Penhall.
Arcadia man Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, 37, pleaded not guilty to fatally hitting 21-year-old road worker Connor McDermott Penhall, in Pomona Superior Court yesterday. The crash happened April 4, 2012, when Sakamoto allegedly drove onto a closed part of the 10 Freeway in Baldwin Park, while drunk. He will next appear in court June 27 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.
Lisa Welchert, who crashed into a station wagon, killing John Chan, while driving drunk, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
After actor Mel Gibson was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, he went into an anti-Semitic tirade. Rabbi Devora Fond of Congregation Shaarei Torah in Arcadia comments, "I believe that when you are drunk, what you truly believe comes out."
The California Highway Patrol freeway pursuit of suspected drunk driver Alexander Contreras led to the death of an innocent bystander, Michael Kim, 20, of Arcadia.
The Arcadia Police Department has filed murder charges against Lisa Melinda Welchert, an alleged drunk driver involved in a fatal accident on Huntington Drive which killed John Chan.
20-year Arcadia Unified School District teacher Gary Southworth pleaded guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter and 2 counts of felony drunken driving in a crash that killed a 21-year-old La Verne woman on December 12, 1992.
The family of John Chan, the 44-year-old Arcadian who was killed by Lisa Welchert in a drunk driving traffic accident, filed a claim against the City because they feel the police officers left Welchert apparently passed out in her car and returned to their patrol cars, allowing her to escape from the police in her automobile.
Actor Johnny Sheffield is seen in costume for filming at the Arboretum. He is looking up and holding onto a tree limb with his left hand. Photo probably taken during filming of a Tarzan movie.
Recreation Department Easter Egg event. Two boys and a girl seem to have been each awarded an Easter basket by a man. Onlookers are behind a fence. Names listed on back of photo: Jack Wiltse, Georgia Emmett, Ken Scott, James Edward Connor.
Bowen Du, the driver, who struck and Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, as she walked across the 600 block of Duarte Road, will face the felony charge of one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison. His arraignment is scheduled for August 11, 2011 in Pasadena Superior Court.
James Bates of Arcadia was ordered to spend 6 months in county jail for the freeway deaths of Denise Wilson and David Hawkins. A two-year sentence was suspended. Bates is on five years probation and must abstain from use of alcoholic beverages. Though Bates had been drinking during the afternoon before, his blood alcohol level was only .03 after the 1 A.M. accident.
About 60 parents, teachers, and students staged an emotional show of solidarity for teacher Gary Southworth, who began a 1-year jail sentence in connection with a car crash that killed a 21 year old La Verne woman, on December 12, 1992. He pleaded guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter and 2 counts of felony drunk driving.