A jury is now seated in the misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter case against David Baskett, who is accused of driving a forklift involved in a deadly collision in Santa Maria nearly two years ago. However, opening statements are on hold after new reconstruction measurements surfaced.
Santa Maria police were seen blocking off a portion of Skyway Drive on Thursday, Feb. 26, as part of the accident reconstruction.
The crash happened along that stretch of road near Hangar Street on May 2, 2024.
According to police, a pickup truck collided with a forklift and then hit a fire hydrant. Basket was reportedly driving the forklift at the time.
Tiffany Ann Peterson, 39, of Orcutt was killed. Her father was injured.
In a Santa Maria courtroom on Friday, attorneys told the judge they received late information tied to the crash investigation.
Public Defender Adrienne Harbottle called it a completely new accident report and said it was “absolutely a violation of Mr. Baskett’s due process right.”
The defense called it a completely new accident report, arguing the late disclosure violates Baskett's due process rights.
Prosecutors asked for time to respond after Thursday's reconstruction produced new measurements.
Prosecutor Ryan Clausen told the court he planned to file his response by the end of Friday.
Before dismissing jurors, the judge displayed preliminary guidance on how jurors should evaluate witness testimony throughout the case, including weighing possible bias, how well a witness could perceive events, whether testimony is consistent with prior statements, and whether other evidence supports or contradicts what a witness says.
The judge also reminded jurors not to automatically reject testimony because of inconsistencies, noting people can honestly forget details or perceive the same event differently.
She then states she had additional preliminary matters to review before sending jurors home after explaining preliminary instructions, including what to expect during the trial and how they should conduct themselves.
Baskett was on the Santa Maria Public Airport District Board of Directors at the time of the crash but was not re-elected later that year.
Jurors are scheduled to return on Thursday morning. The judge said the trial may or may not move forward that day, depending on what's resolved in court.
The following witnesses were listed on the witness list provided in court:
- Thomas Gibbons
- Raymond Paladino
- Ethan Brown
- Officer Neil Medrano - SMPD
- Officer Nicholas Clark – SMPD
- Officer Matthew Jensen – SMPD
- Officer Nickolas Barton – SMPD
- Officer Dustin Rhoads – SMPD
- Vicente Buenrestro
- Alberto Paz
- Victoria Samaniego
- Chad Biedinger
- Richard AlbinTokoph
