Man Enters Plea in Traffic Death
A Ventura man pleaded not guilty Monday to a murder charge stemming from the death of a Bakersfield teen-ager during a high-speed chase last month.
Antonio De La Cruz Morales, 21, was indicted Dec. 9 by the Ventura County grand jury. Prosecutors say he is the fourth person in county history to be charged with murder in a traffic death; none of the others were convicted.
Morales was arrested Nov. 20 after he allegedly crashed his pickup truck into the rear of a van on eastbound California 126 at nearly 100 m.p.h. A passenger in the van, Victoria Lee Gonzales, 16, was ejected and killed.
The crash came after a five-mile chase by California Highway Patrol officers during which Morales ran off the road several times and nearly hit other vehicles, investigators said. Morales’ blood-alcohol level was later found to be .22%, nearly three times the legal limit of .08%, investigators said.
Superior Court Judge James M. McNally scheduled trial for Feb. 16. Morales remains in County Jail with bail set at $250,000.
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