Man Charged With Vehicular Manslaughter in Jet Ski Death

A Thousand Oaks man was charged with vehicular manslaughter Wednesday, almost a year after the collision of two jet skis on Castaic Lake that took one life, authorities said.

Steven Croswhite 36, of Thousand Oaks, was scheduled for arraignment on Thursday at Newhall Municipal Court.

Croswhite allegedly crashed into Louie Ellis, 51, of Glendora, killing him, as they rode the craft on Sept. 4, 1994.

Ellis’ body was found floating in the upper part of Castaic Lake at about 10:15 a.m., about half an hour after the accident, police said.

“On the date of the crash, he [Croswhite] disappeared,” explained Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Olfig. “But people saw him in the area.”

A composite drawing based on descriptions of witnesses who saw the suspect fleeing the scene led sheriff’s homicide detectives to Croswhite.

Croswhite’s own Sea Doo also matched eyewitness descriptions, Olfig said.

Bail was originally set at $1 million, Olfig said, but was reduced to $15,000 on Wednesday.

Croswhite faces up to a year in prison for the vehicular manslaughter charge.