A Santa Barbara woman who allegedly was highly intoxicated when her vehicle veered off Highway 101, became airborne and plunged to the beach below last year will be in court later this month to face felony drunken-driving charges.
Kristy Lynn Oglesby, 28, suffered major injuries in the Nov. 30 crash near Refugio State Beach and her passenger, Michael James Reigard, 29, was seriously injured. Both subsequently were arrested.
According to California Highway Patrol reports at the time, Oglesby was at the wheel of a Nissan Frontier pickup that was traveling in excess of 100 mph in a heavy downpour when she lost control and spun out onto the right shoulder.
“Due to the high speed of the Nissan, it continued up the embankment protecting the railroad tracks and went airborne,” said CHP Officer James Richards. “The Nissan continued across the paved bicycle path between El Captain State Beach and Refugio State Beach, then fell approximately 250 feet over a cliff onto the beach below.”
The vehicle came to rest on its roof near the surf line, Richards said.
Oglesby’s left arm was nearly amputated in the wreck and she suffered extensive internal injuries, he said, while Reigard suffered major head and face injuries.
Oglesby is scheduled to appear for arraignment in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Feb. 20, said Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter.
She is facing charges of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and driving with a .08-percent blood alcohol, both felonies, according to the criminal complaint filed against her. The complaint indicates her blood-alcohol content was 0.14 percent, nearly twice the limit at which a driver is presumed to be drunk under California law.
She also faces misdemeanor counts of driving with a suspended or revoked license, and failure to provide evidence of insurance.
Reigard is facing a felony charge of possession of methamphetamine, a controlled substance, said Deputy District Attorney Sandy Horowitz. He is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 22, Horowitz said.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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