Suspect in Caltrans Death Had Similar Crash
A driver who was allegedly under the influence of drugs when his truck struck and killed a Caltrans worker on the Antelope Valley Freeway last month was involved in a similar accident last year but was not prosecuted, the California Highway Patrol said Thursday.
Blood tests determined that Scott Ellis III, 42, of Palmdale was under the influence of PCP, a powerful hallucinogen, on April 7, 1991, when he allegedly caused an accident on the Harbor Freeway, CHP spokesman Todd Sturges said.
Ellis has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the July 29 death of Caltrans worker Callie Joel Buser, 55, of Canoga Park while allegedly driving under the influence of PCP and a prescription drug.
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