From Ventura County Star
A Corona man could face a drunken driving charge in connection with a crash in a rugged Ventura County canyon that killed one of his passengers and injured three others, including himself, authorities said Monday.
Stephen Shanks, 29, was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence after the sport utility vehicle he was driving Sunday tumbled about 600 feet down a steep embankment from Deer Creek Road near the county’s south coast, said Officer Steve Reid, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s Ventura office. Shanks, seriously injured in the crash, was released to a local hospital, where he remained Monday, Reid said.
Shanks was driving the SUV on Deer Creek about two miles north of the Pacific Coast Highway with three passengers when the vehicle drifted, hit a curb, went over an embankment and rolled down the steep hill, Reid said. The vehicle came to rest on its roof.
Shanks and passenger Kelly Powell, 20, of San Clemente were wearing seat belts, but the other two were not, Reid said.
Victoria Alviti, 22, of West Greenwich, R.I., was thrown from the vehicle and later died at the scene, authorities said. Shanks and Nicholas Adams, 41, of West Hollywood suffered major injuries, Reid said ….MORE