Suspect in Highway 166 double fatal crash faces judge
LATEST UPDATE:
District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that they are filing an eight count felony complaint against Jerald Brandon Holman. According to police Holman was behind the wheel of the car that caused the fatal crash this past Labor Day.
The complaint charges Holman with Second Degree Murder in the deaths of his two step-children, ages 4 and 7, who were passengers in the car he was driving. He is also charged with two Felony counts of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated.
Mr. Holman will be arraigned in the San Luis Obispo Superior Court at 8:30 am on Friday, September 9th, 2016. If convicted, Mr. Holman faces life in state prison.
Meanwhile the victims grandfather, Archie Lee Barber says him and his family are devastated about the deaths of his grandchildren. “Very, very devastating. Lot of crying, lot of emotion,” said Barber. “Those are my babies, they the ones that keep me going and keep me living.”
A GoFund me page has been set up to help the family pay for the funeral.
https://www.gofundme.com/2nm2v9ad
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The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has released information about the driver and passengers hit by a suspected DUI driver along Highway 166 near New Cuyama on Labor Day Monday
30-year-old Aaron Pyne and 31-year-old Katherine Pyne, both of Yucaipa, suffered moderate and minor injuries in Monday’s crash. The CHP also revealed two children in their Chevrolet, a 7-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy, both suffered ankle fractures.
The CHP report details how 36-year-old Jerald B. Holman of Bakersfield, was driving a red Toyota Camry westbound on Highway 166 at a rapid speed, when it drifted into the eastbound lane while Holman was negotiating a curve, swerved back into the westbound lane and for unknown reasons, went sideways back into the eastbound lanes.
The Toyota Holman was driving slammed into the Pyne’s Chevrolet. The impact catapulted the Toyota into the air, causing it to roll while splitting the rear passenger compartment from the vehicle, ejecting and killing the two child passengers; a 7-year-old boy and his 4-year-old sister.
The children were pronounced dead at the scene. Holman and his passenger, 26-year-old Todeshia Lewis of Bakersfield, were taken to the hospital.
Holman was arrested after his release from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and charged with felony DUI. Multiple counts of other charges will be pursued against Holman, according to police.
In total five people were taken to the hospital from both vehicles. The identities of the children killed will not be released until next of kin is notified.
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UPDATE: An arrest has been made in the fatal collision that left two kids dead on Labor Day.
Police said they have arrested the driver of the red, 2008 Toyota Camry for DUI among other charges. A name has not been released.
Five other people were sent to the hospital after the cars collided on the 166 causing one car to completely split apart.
We are expecting more information to be released by the CHP this morning. Check back for the latest updates throughout the morning.
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Emergency crews are on scene of a car accident near the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County line.
The accident happened just before 5 p.m. Monday on westbound Highway 166 east of Spanish Ranch.
According to the California Highway Patrol incident log, it appears a car driving in the westbound lanes, lost control and swerved into the oncoming eastbound traffic.
Fire officials on scene said two children are dead.
Eight people total are involved in the two car crash.
CalStar and Santa Barbara County Sheriff Copter 3 landed near-by to transport patients to the hospital.
Two adults were transported to Marian Regional Medical Center hospital via ground ambulance.
A mother and two children were sent to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital via CalStar and Copter 3.
CHP says all lanes of Highway 166 were blocked.
The cause of the collision is under investigation by CHP.
