Jan and Hal Angus lost two things this year: their eldest son, Dane Angus, and faith in the California justice system. 

Dane Angus, 31, was killed on Feb. 24 in a hit-and-run collision. Angus was riding a Vespa scooter at the intersection of Santa Barbara and Cota streets when he was hit by Salvador Jimenez, 34, of Santa Barbara, who was driving with a suspended license, police said. 

Jimenez kept driving after the collision with the scooter wedged underneath the front of his vehicle. He then fled on foot and turned himself into police later that night. 

On Thursday, Jimenez was sentenced to two years of probation and will serve a year in county jail if he violates his probation. While on probation, he is not allowed to drink alcohol, and he must stay out of bars and liquor stores. He also has to undergo a drug and alcohol treatment program. 

Jimenez originally pleaded not guilty to the hit-and-run charge, but in August he changed his plea to no contest. In California, a no-contest plea has the same effect as a guilty plea in felony cases. 

Dane Angus was originally from San Diego but moved to Santa Barbara when he was 18 to attend Santa Barbara City College and later transferred to UC Santa Barbara.

He was the production and design manager for Pure Joy Catering in Santa Barbara, and he ran his own candle company.

His mother, Jan Angus, described him as everyone’s best friend, the person who could light up a room and was the glue holding people together and planning activities. 

“He was an amazing man, the best person I knew. He was my best friend,” she said. 

His father, Hal Angus, described his son as a hard worker and a strong and passionate leader. 

“He didn’t lead by intimidation. He led by getting a group excited about doing a great job and setting an example for how you act professionally and how you do it right,” he said. 

They were hoping that Jimenez would face at least a year in jail for killing their son, but they were prepared that he would get only probation.

“​​If you look at the circumstances of what happened that night and the choices he made at that time or didn’t make, it’s really hard to stomach and realize that he really did some reprehensible, inhumane things and had no regard at all for the life of our son, and he’s not going to do any jail time for that,” Hal Angus said.

During preliminary hearings, video evidence was reviewed that showed Jimenez drinking five beers between 11 p.m. and 1:15 a.m. the night of the accident, according to court records. He wasn’t charged with a DUI because police couldn’t confirm what his blood alcohol content was, since he fled from the scene. 

Jan Angus said this process has made her lose all faith in the criminal justice system in California. 

“It’s really made me think about California, because this guy can do all these things, run away, kill our son and get off on probation only,” she said. 

Throughout the court proceedings, Jan and Hal Angus said they felt that they had to constantly advocate for themselves and their son. One of the most frustrating parts of the case was false statements submitted in a report to the judge, they said.

Jimenez’s girlfriend, Estefani Guerrero, 26, of Santa Barbara, was arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact, and concealing or destroying evidence.  

On the night of the accident, Guerrero told police she was an uninvolved witness and that she was across the street during the accident, when in reality she was in the back of the truck, according to court records. Police realized this when they discovered her purse and ID in the truck.

The Anguses said probation staff used Guerrero’s initial statements in their report to the judge that made it appear that Dane Angus was at fault for the accident, when police ultimately could not determine which party was at fault. Hal and Jan Angus said they had to fight to get the probation report corrected. 

At Thursday’s sentencing, the courtroom was packed with Dane Angus’ friends and family, including his 96-year-old grandmother, who made the trip from Northern California, and his younger brother, Brock Angus. 

They all wore black rubber bracelets that read “Justice for Dane.”

The family played a slideshow of numerous pictures of him growing up, going on adventures, playing with his nieces, and smiling with friends and family. Family members read victim impact statements to the judge.

Brock Angus spoke about how his brother always protected him growing up and how he worked every day to be a better man than he was the day before. 

“I’m going to miss our late-night talks, his best-smelling candles. I’m going to miss having a big brother,” Brock Angus said. 

During Hal Angus’ statement, he said there would be justice only if the defendant felt convicted in his heart and changed his ways. Judge Pauline Maxwell agreed. 

“We do know for sure that you didn’t stay and do the right thing. I hope you have time to reflect and change your ways. It’s the only good thing that can come out of this,” Maxwell said. “The only good thing that can come from this great tragedy is that you change your ways, and I hope you did.”