A man charged with driving drunk in an Orcutt crash that killed two of his passengers made a brief appearance in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Monday morning, but did not enter a plea.
Cameron W. Oliver, 25, of Santa Maria, was charged with murder last week in connection with a single-vehicle rollover crash that killed one woman instantly and critically injured another woman who died days later.
The women who died due to the Feb. 6 crash were Leann Stauffer and Tricia Jensen, both 37 and from Santa Maria.
Oliver was charged with two counts of murder and felony driving with blood alcohol content exceeding .08 percent causing bodily injury to a third passenger, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office said.
The vehicle was traveling at high speed on Highway 135 north of Lakeview Road when it veered off the roadway, crashed through a fence, struck a concrete bench, and overturned onto Orcutt Road, the California Highway Patrol said.
Oliver also faces several special allegations that he had a blood alcohol content above .15 percent, drove at least 30 mph above the speed limit, and was convicted of a prior DUI offense.
According to the criminal complaint, Oliver allegedly had a blood-alcohol content that exceeded .19 percent and was driving more than 125 mph at the time of the crash.
Family members of the victims and defendant were in the Santa Maria courtroom Monday morning.
At the request of attorneys, Judge James Iwakso continued the hearing in further arraignment status to March 6 in Department 7.
Oliver also faced a probation violation stemming from domestic violence incident in 2015. Terms of the probation banned Oliver from drinking alcohol for three years, which didn’t end until 2019.
Oliver remains in Santa Barbara County Jail with no bail set, due to his prior DUI from San Diego County, Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Savrnoch said.
Drivers with at least one prior DUI conviction can face second-degree murder charges if involved in a fatal DUI crash under California’s Watson murder rule.
The rule stems from a 1979 case involving a man with prior DUI convictions who drove while intoxicated and caused a crash that killed two people.
The charges are based the theory of “implied malice,” with each DUI conviction in the state now including the Watson warning that a subsequent DUI arrest involving a fatal crash could lead to murder charges.
Defense attorney Addison Steele argued that media should not be allowed to take pictures in court Monday since his client was not dressed in civilian clothes Monday, and instead wore the jail uniform.
“If photos are going to be taken, it’s, of course, far less prejudicial if I can get him dressed out,” Steele said, before Iwasko denied the request leaving the defense attorney to stand in front of Oliver in an attempt to shield him from cameras.
Outside the courtroom, Steele said he may seek bail at a future hearing, but noted the standard for someone facing murder is $1 million.
“That decision needs to be made in the future,” Steele added.
While Steele represented Oliver for Monday’s hearing it’s not clear it he will continue. Steele noted the Public Defender’s Office recently formed a complex litigation unit, and a decision has yet to be made if he will continue on the case.
“In either event, Mr. Oliver’s going to get a very experienced attorney working on his case,” Steele said.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.