Driver pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter
Vanessa Rose Noblitt.
Prosecutors said Noblitt had a blood alcohol level of .31% when arrested
– Vanessa Rose Noblitt pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving with a blood alcohol concentration greater than .15% causing great bodily injury or death, and hit-and-run in connection with the 2024 death of cyclist Saul Goldberg, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced on Wednesday.
The DUI charge involving great bodily injury or death is a violent strike offense under California’s Three Strikes Law. Noblitt also admitted a factor in aggravation that the victim was particularly vulnerable.
The fatal collision occurred about noon on July 23, 2024, when Noblitt drove southbound on South Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo and drifted into the bike lane, striking 86-year-old cyclist Saul Goldberg.
Goldberg and his longtime friend, 72-year-old Martin Suits, were riding in sequence in the southbound bike lane when Noblitt struck Goldberg from the side, causing him to fall.
Suits likely collided with Goldberg and also fell. Suits suffered a concussion and other injuries. Goldberg died from his injuries several days later.
Noblitt was later arrested after she struck a parked car in a nearby mobile home park. Authorities determined that she had a blood alcohol level of .31%.
A preliminary hearing, also known as a probable cause hearing, took place Aug. 14, 2026. Goldberg’s family attended the hearing, and Suits testified about his observations and injuries.
After consulting with Suits and Goldberg’s immediate family before and after the preliminary hearing, prosecutors made a plea offer to Noblitt that Suits and Goldberg’s family supported.
Noblitt will be sentenced to the maximum penalty allowed by law for the offenses and special allegations, which is 9 years and 8 months in state prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13 in Department 1 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, with Judge Rita Federman presiding.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department investigated the case. Deputy District Attorney Delaney Henretty prosecuted the case. Victim Advocate Tristan Millage and Witness Coordinator Eloiza Basinger provided victim support services.
