PIRU : Driver Charged After Crash Kills Passenger

A Santa Barbara County man was charged with vehicular manslaughter Wednesday after his 1977 BMW sedan crashed into a utility pole on California 126 and killed his 17-year-old passenger, the California Highway Patrol said.

Alfred Bjorklund, 23, was westbound one mile east of Center Street in the Piru area just after 7 a.m. when he failed to a navigate a curve, the CHP said. His car crossed into the eastbound lane, fell down a six-foot bank and struck a power pole on the passenger side, which nearly split the vehicle in two. Katrina Renee Fontenot of Nederland, Tex., was killed upon impact, the CHP said. Bjorklund, who suffered minor injuries, told officers that he and Fontenot were returning from a late-night party in the Santa Clarita area and that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Police said they found an undisclosed amount of marijuana in the car and are testing Bjorklund for drug use. He is being held in Ventura County Jail on $20,000 bail.