Woman Charged in Death of Deputy

A 36-year-old Ventura woman has been charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the August 1998 traffic death of a Ventura County sheriff’s deputy, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Tanya Dawn Pittman will be arraigned today on a charge of felony vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of drugs and a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter, Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Simon said.

Prosecutors believe Pittman had taken the muscle relaxant Soma and other drugs before the crash, Simon said. The prosecutor refused to identify the other drugs.

“I don’t want to give anyone the impression this is just a prescription medication case,” Simon said.

“It’s illegal to drive with anything in your system that causes impairment.”

Pittman has not been jailed, and Simon said he has not decided whether to seek bail at today’s hearing.

Senior Deputy Lisa Whitney, 28, of Oxnard was killed while on duty Aug. 12, 1998, at Telephone and Hill roads in Ventura when her car was broadsided by Pittman’s truck, according to authorities.

At the time of the crash, traffic signals at the intersection were not working and authorities believe Pittman failed to yield.

Jim Farley, Pittman’s defense attorney, had no comment Thursday, except to say that his client was not surprised she had been charged.

Pittman’s friends have said publicly that she has been devastated by the crash.