Oregon woman charged with felony DUI in fatal San Luis Obispo crash
Vanessa Rose Noblitt, 44.
Noblitt’s blood alcohol content was four times the legal limit, investigators found
– A Bend, Oregon woman was arrested on Dec. 18 in connection with a July collision that killed one bicyclist and injured another in San Luis Obispo, according to a press release from the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
Vanessa Rose Noblitt, 44, was taken into custody by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon and is awaiting extradition to San Luis Obispo County. Once booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail, her bail will be set at $160,000, according to San Luis Obispo Police Sgt. Trevor Shalhoob.
The arrest follows an investigation into a fatal collision that occurred on July 23 at 12 p.m. at South Higuera and Fontana in San Luis Obispo. Police initially responded to reports of an injured bicyclist and later discovered that two bicyclists had been struck by an unknown vehicle, which fled the scene before officers arrived.
One of the bicyclists, Saul Goldberg, 87, of Avila Beach, was transported to a local hospital for treatment but died from his injuries on July 31. The second bicyclist, Martin Suits, 74, also of Avila Beach, sustained moderate injuries and was treated at a local hospital.
Shortly after the collision, Noblitt was involved in a separate crash at a mobile home park in the 3800 block of South Higuera, where she hit a parked car. Noblitt was arrested at the scene for driving under the influence and hit-and-run property damage. Police reported that her blood alcohol content was four times the legal limit.
Detectives from the San Luis Obispo Police Department and the Severe Collision Investigative Detail began investigating both incidents as possibly related. Evidence gathered during the investigation linked Noblitt and her vehicle to the fatal collision at South Higuera and Fontana.
On Aug. 6, detectives served search warrants at Noblitt’s residence in Bend, Oregon, where they seized her vehicle and other evidence for forensic processing. San Luis Obispo Police detectives worked with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office to review the evidence.
On Dec. 9, the District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Noblitt, and a warrant for her arrest was issued on Dec. 11. The charges against Noblitt include:
Noblitt is charged with felony vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI causing injury, two counts of felony DUI with a blood alcohol level of .15% or higher, two counts of felony infliction of great bodily injury, and misdemeanor hit-and-run property damage.
