Driver in fatal hit-and-run near Lompoc prison charged with manslaughter

LOMPOC, Calif. - A Lompoc man who is accused of fleeing from a fatal crash near the Lompoc Prison has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Michael James Culligan, 29, of Lompoc was arrested Tuesday and was expected to make his initial appearance Wednesday afternoon in United States District Court. Culligan has been charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter within federal jurisdiction.

He's accused of crashing a stolen Jeep head-on into another vehicle near the Lompoc Prison. Court filings say he was under the influence of drugs during the crash. The driver in the other vehicle was killed and his passenger was seriously injured.

The crash happened Tuesday afternoon on Santa Lucia Canyon Road north between the prison and Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Responding officers found a 2016 Lexus that sustained extensive damage. The driver of the Lexus was dead when officers arrived and the passenger was seriously injured. The Jeep was abandoned at the scene.

A witness said the Jeep lost control and drifted into oncoming traffic before crashing directly into the Lexus. That same witness told law enforcement that the driver then fled the crash on foot.

Empty alcohol containers were found in the Jeep, as well as Culligan's state ID card. The Jeep turned out to be stolen and the license plates belonged to a different car.

California Highway Patrol officers and Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies began searching for the driver with a helicopter and K9 units. About three hours later, Culligan was arrested at a nearby train station, about a mile and a half from the crash.

If found guilty, Culligan could face a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.