Driver Charged in Fatal Accident
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A 23-year-old Ventura man has been charged with alcohol-involved vehicular manslaughter in connection with a Thanksgiving Day accident that left three of his friends dead.
Tomas Edmundo Mercer was also charged with two special allegations based on the fact that there was more than one victim in the Nov. 27 accident.
If convicted, Mercer’s sentence could range from probation and local jail time to a maximum of six years in state prison, Deputy Dist. Atty. Bill Redmond said.
Timothy R. Coultas, 23, of Santa Paula; his cousin, Michael Frick, 23, of Ventura; and Rebecca Singer-Beilin, 22, of Ventura died when the Ford truck driven by Mercer rolled over. The accident occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on Foothill Road near Santa Paula.
Mercer was critically injured, and two other passengers had minor cuts and scrapes. The passengers told police they were coming from a bar, California Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Reid said.
The charges were filed May 7, Redmond said. Mercer is scheduled to appear for an arraignment hearing in Ventura County Superior Court on May 28.
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