THOUSAND OAKS : Driver Acquitted of Manslaughter
A college student from Thousand Oaks has been acquitted of manslaughter charges but convicted of drunk driving in the March, 1989, death of Martha Glover, 64.
A Ventura County Superior Court jury returned the verdict against John Lauderbach, 21, after deliberating for eight hours.
The jury found Lauderbach not guilty Thursday of one count each of vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving with injury, and guilty of one count of drunk driving, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum prison term of one year, said his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Susan Olson.
Witnesses testified at Lauderbach’s trial that his car collided with Glover’s about 11 p.m. March 11, 1989, as the two drove through a construction area on the northbound Ventura Freeway between Westlake Boulevard and Hampshire Road in Thousand Oaks. Police testified that Lauderbach’s blood-alcohol content registered 0.1% in a breath analysis--just slightly above the 0.08% level of legal intoxication.
Lauderbach was released on $5,000 bail after his conviction Thursday. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for April 19.
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