VENTURA : Boy, 16, Charged in Death of Jogger
A 16-year-old boy was charged Friday with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of a drug in connection with the death last year of a woman who was struck by a car while jogging near her Ventura home.
The boy, whose name is being withheld because of his age, is scheduled for arraignment in Juvenile Court on April 2. He is in the custody of his parents, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ronald C. Janes said.
Prosecutors said the boy had inhaled a gas that affects the central nervous system prior to striking Linda Gabrielson, 52, on Dec. 16 in Ventura. Although Janes refused to identify the gas, he said it was not the nitrous oxide that was reported earlier.
“We’re declining to state (what the boy used) because we don’t want to glorify it,” Janes said.
Gabrielson died of multiple injuries after being struck just after 1:30 p.m. as she jogged along Via Arroyo at Longridge Court.
Police said the boy fled the scene but was arrested about a quarter-mile away. He later was released to his family, Janes said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
