A Santa Paula man facing charges in connection with a fatal early morning crash north of Ventura earlier this month pleaded not guilty and denied all charges when he made a court appearance January 23.
In the early morning hours of January 15 Abram Pineda, 20, crashed his southbound car into an motorhome parked on the shoulder of Pacific Coast Highway at the Faria Beach campground, killing a passenger. Pineda also received injuries, as did three others in the RV and a trailer that was also parked at the beach that was struck by the motorhome after the initial collision.
Victor Arenas, a 20-year-old resident of Santa Paula and Pineda’s passenger, was killed in the crash. According to the California Highway Patrol, Pineda tried to flee after the crash but campers in the area detained him until law enforcement arrived at the scene.
Pineda is charged with felony vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence causing injury, and leaving the scene of an accident, among other charges. He is free on $50,000 bail and is due back in court February 1.
Ventura County Court records show that at the time of the January 15 crash, Pineda was driving on a restricted license because of an earlier conviction for being a minor in possession of alcohol.
