Man Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed Boy

A Yorba Linda man who tearfully denied fleeing the scene of a fatal car crash that killed an 8-year-old boy last month was charged Thursday with felony vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving.

College student Brandon Wattier, 20, could face more than two years in prison if convicted of all charges stemming from the Oct. 9 collision on the southbound Costa Mesa Freeway near Chapman Avenue that killed Wesley Straw of Moreno Valley.

Supervising Deputy Dist. Atty. Bruce Patterson declined to discuss the case in detail Thursday, but said charges were filed after an exhaustive investigation that included lab tests and examinations of paint marks on vehicles believed to be involved in the fatal crash.

Neither Wattier, who has a history of speeding and reckless driving infractions, nor his attorney could not be reached for comment. Wattier’s driving record shows five moving violations and a car accident, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

In an interview last month, he claimed the violations were minor incidents that are unfairly being used against him. He is free on $25,000 bail and will be arraigned Monday in Municipal Court here.

During the interview, conducted shortly after his arrest, Wattier wept as he blamed the crash on the driver of a red truck with Idaho license plates who he claimed forced him off the road.

Wattier insisted that he did not recall hitting the vehicle in which Wesley was traveling, but said that if he did collide with it, he was unaware of doing so. He speculated the accident occurred as he negotiated his way back onto the road and clipped a vehicle he believed to be the red truck.

A vehicle at the scene of the accident matches the description of the red truck, but driver Michael Keene’s recollection of the crash differs greatly from Wattier’s.

Keene, 36, of Costa Mesa, said Wattier was speeding and weaving between lanes before skidding past Keene’s car in the shoulder lane. Keene said he watched in shock as Wattier’s car veered back onto the freeway--and into the car driven by Wesley’s father, Timothy Straw of Fountain Valley.