Boy charged in fatal crash freed on bail
Thursday, December 13, 2007 8:24 AM PST
By Stephanie Mathieu
Printable version
E-mail this articleThe 15-year-old boy charged with vehicular homicide for his role in a Nov. 11 fatal accident was released from juvenile detention on Tuesday after a judge reduced his bail.
The boy, Jorge Santiago Ferrer of Longview, was initially ordered to remain in custody on a $100,000 secured bond for a vehicular homicide charge related to the wreck, Judge Jill Johanson decided Dec. 4. On Tuesday, she ruled to reduce the bond to $10,000 after the boy's lawyer made the case that Santiago Ferrer was a responsible teenager.
In addition to lowering bail, Johanson ruled that the boy must refrain from driving and undergo random drug testing.
On Nov. 11, police allege Santiago Ferrer was behind the wheel of his father's 1992 Honda Accord and street racing with a 1991 Oldsmobile 88 shortly before the Oldsmobile crashed into a railroad stanchion in the 3200 block of Ocean Beach Highway at about 1:40 a.m.
The impact killed the driver of the Oldsmobile, Tony Richardson, 18, of Longview.
According to court documents, Richardson sped up behind Santiago Ferrer's Accord and whipped around him. Santiago Ferrer, then 14, responded by changing lanes, speeding around and sharply pulling back in front of Richardson's vehicle.
The crash occurred while Richardson was trying to pass Santiago Ferrer a second time, according to court documents. Santiago Ferrer witnessed the collision but called 911 from a few blocks away and went home instead of helping Richardson.
Santiago Ferrer pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide charges on Nov. 20 in Cowlitz County Juvenile Court. The Daily News is using the juvenile's name because of the seriousness of the alleged crime.
It is not clear yet if the father would be charged in connection with the incident. It is a misdemeanor to allow an unauthorized minor to drive.
Repeated calls to the Cowlitz County Prosecutors Office were not returned Wednesday.
The boy's public defense attorney, Timothy South, told the judge on Tuesday that Santiago Ferrer attends school and has a full-time job.
"He certainly knows the seriousness of what he's charged with, and I doubt very seriously he'll be getting behind the wheel of a car," South said in an interview Wednesday.
The boy's criminal history includes a conviction earlier this year for driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving.
During court proceedings on Nov. 20, Patricia Anderson, prosecuting attorney for juvenile court, told Johanson that the boy initially had been sentenced to serve weekends in the juvenile detention center until the conclusion of his 30-day sentence for a DUI, but he didn't show up. At his first court appearance Nov. 14, a judge ordered him to begin serving the 30 days without a break, Anderson said.
A pretrial hearing for the vehicular homicide charges is set for Jan. 8, and trial is scheduled to start Jan. 18, but that date likely will change, South said. Santiago Ferrer also has waived his right to a speedy trial.
South said he is confident his client will be present for upcoming court dates.
The proceedings on Tuesday angered Cori Shellenberger, Richardson's mother-in-law. She said she didn't think the boy's bail should have been reduced to an affordable amount.
"The whole situation was so sad," Shellenberger said in an interview Tuesday. "The judge (told Santiago Ferrer) you need to stay off the road or somebody might die. Somebody did die. I think that got forgotten."
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