DA Declines To File Charges Against Deputy In Crash That Killed Entertainment Lawyer
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has declined to file charges against a Sheriff's Deputy who was typing on a department computer when he fatally struck a well-known entertainment lawyer in Calabasas.
A charge evaluation worksheet made public Wednesday said there was "insufficient evidence" to charge Deputy Andrew Wood with vehicular manslaughter.
"Wood briefly took his eyes away from the road precisely when the narrow roadway curved slightly to the left without prior warning, causing him to inadvertently travel straight into the bike lane, immediately striking" Milton Everett Olin Jr., who was riding eastbound in the bicycle lane on Mulholland Highway shortly after 1 p.m. Dec. 8, 2013, according to the charge evaluation worksheet.
"Wood entered the bicycle lane as a result of inattention caused by typing into his MDC (mobile digital computer)," according to the charge evaluation worksheet, which said Wood was responding to another deputy who asked if an investigation had been done at Calabasas High School.
"Since Wood was acting within the course and scope of his duties when he began to type his response ... he acted lawfully," according to the document.
The charge evaluation worksheet said Wood's statement that he sent a text message while his patrol car was stopped at a red traffic light was consistent with GPS and cellphone records.
The document went on to say there was "no evidence that he was engaged in any other activities, such as using his personal cellphone, at the time of the collision."
Olin's family sued the county July 16, alleging wrongful death and claiming the deputy was negligent. The lawsuit, which also names the Sheriff's
Department and Wood, seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Olin, 65, was a former chief operating officer for Napster.
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