After a mistrial was declared in his case earlier this month, David Baskett pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter for operating a forklift that collided with a pickup truck in Santa Maria two years ago.
The crash killed 39-year-old Tiffany Ann Peterson, who was seated in the truck’s passenger seat.
According to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, on May 2, 2024, Baskett drove the forklift onto the edge of Skyway Drive with its eight-foot-long forks extended into the traffic lane, approximately four-feet off the ground.
The pickup truck, which was reportedly traveling at the speed limit in the same lane, collided with the forks and Peterson was killed instantly.
In court on Tuesday, the 83-year-old Baskett was sentenced to one year of probation.
Baskett was originally set to face trial on the vehicular manslaughter charge, but on March 2, the judge declared a mistrial before opening statements even began, after an accident reconstruction just days before produced new measurement evidence.
Baskett currently sits on the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) Board of Trustees and was also on the Santa Maria Airport Board at the time of the crash.
SMJUHSD Public Information Officer Kenny Klein released a statement on Tuesday, saying, “A person is eligible to be a member of the Governing Board so long as they are 18 years of age or older; a citizen of California; a resident of the trustee area; a registered voter; and not legally disqualified from holding civil office. (Education Code 35107). A person is legally disqualified if they have been convicted of certain offenses. While we are unaware of the specific terms of Mr. Baskett’s plea agreement, disqualifying convictions generally include certain felonies (not misdemeanors) or crimes involving the member’s official duties. There are no official steps the Board must take in these circumstances, and the Board has no authority to remove another elected official from the Board.”
