RAMONA : CHP Blames Driver of Probation Truck

The driver of a Probation Department truck was blamed by the California Highway Patrol for being inattentive at the wheel, causing an accident that killed one inmate and injured 18 others.

Probation Officer Robert B. Reyes, 26, of El Cajon “failed to maintain control of his vehicle on a mountainous type roadway and allowed the vehicle to drive off the right side of the road,” said CHP Officer Roy Kramer. The CHP’s report on the accident was issued Thursday.

The report will be forwarded to the district attorney, who will determine whether Reyes should be charged with misdemeanor manslaughter, Kramer said.

Reyes was driving county honor camp inmates from the West Fork minimum-security probation camp near Warner Springs to a work site in San Diego on Nov. 13, when the vehicle struck an oak on California 78 near Ramona.

The inmate killed in the crash was identified as Michael Anthony Mathews, 29, of Cardiff. He was riding on the passenger side of the vehicle’s cab. Of the 18 people who were injured, none required hospitalization for more than a few days. Reyes bumped his head.

Kramer said Reyes had not been drinking and nothing unusual occurred in the truck before the accident.

Mathews’ mother, Norma Turchan, said she was considering whether to file a lawsuit against the county in the death of her son. She said her son was in the camp because of drug problems.