Photo: Courtesy Noozhawk.com: Scene of Crime
Written By: Robert L. McCullough
September 14, 2022 – Santa Barbara, Ca. – The new day had barely begun on the morning of September 9th when Santa Barbara City Fire Department and Santa Barbara City Police Department personnel responded to a 911 Emergency report of a high speed single-vehicle crash occurring on a city street crossing under U.S. 101 lanes.
According to SBFD Battalioin Chief Mike DePonce, upon arrival at the heavily-traveled thoroughfare connecting the city’s beachfront neighborhoods to the downtown commercial district, firefighters “found a small SUV that had sustained major front-end damage” as a result of an apparent collision with the underpass’s concrete walls. Fire Department rescue personnel extricated three individuals from the vehicle, with a rear- seat passenger “suffering major injuries.” The driver, 25-year-old Santa Barbara resident RayTimothy Oberholtzer and his front-seat passenger suffered “minor to moderate” injuries” according to SBPD spokesman Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale.
The immediately ensuing investigation, some of which was conducted at the accident scene while medical reports were generated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, indicated that Oberholtzer had been inebriated at the time of the crash. Once his injuries were treated and he was medically stabilized, Oberholtzer was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was charged with felony DUI, with his bail set at $100,000.
