HOLLISTER
– The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office has decided
to charge 16-year-old Omar De La Cruz as a juvenile, said District
Attorney John Sarsfield.
HOLLISTER – The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office has decided to charge 16-year-old Omar De La Cruz as a juvenile, said District Attorney John Sarsfield.
Sarsfield would not comment on the specific charges, stating that information pertinent to juvenile cases is confidential.
De La Cruz was driving the car that crashed at the intersection of Santa Ana Valley and Fairview roads Saturday night, resulting in the deaths of 18-year-olds Paul “PJ” Galvan and Matthew Lopez.
The official cause of death for the Hollister teens is massive blunt force trauma, according to Detective Sgt. Wes Walker of the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department.
There is a suspicion that alcohol was involved due to the odor present at the scene and alcohol found in the vehicle, Walker said.
They are not making any assumptions as to who was drinking, he said.
De La Cruz was also driving illegally because he didn’t have an official California driver’s license, said California Highway Patrol Officer Terry Mayes.
“He had a permit, but no one of legal age was in the car with him,” Mayes said.
De La Cruz is being held at San Benito County Juvenile Hall, said his attorney Tom Worthington.
