Pastor Who Drove Van in Collision That Killed 8 Won’t Face Charges

A pastor who drove a church van that was struck by a hit-and-run driver, killing eight people and injuring 11 in Santa Ana, won’t be charged despite safety defects in the van, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

The Rev. Octavio Valentin will be cited for violating several state vehicle equipment and licensing requirements, Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Bruce M. Patterson said. The traffic accident was described as the worst ever in Orange County.

Valentin had been under investigation for vehicular manslaughter since the Sept. 20 crash, Patterson said. Prosecutors eventually decided that they couldn’t prove that the van’s lack of seat belts and unbolted seats caused the parishioners’ deaths, he said.