Roger
Photo: SBCFD
A Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office employee was involved in a serious injury collision on SR – 154 near Lake Cachuma on Saturday evening, September 14, 2019.
The Buellton office of the California Highway Patrol responded to the accident. Javier Antunez, an off-duty Custody lieutenant assigned to the Main Jail, was driving one of the vehicles involved in the collision and was placed under arrest for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and causing injury.
Antunez has been employed with the Sheriff’s Office since 1999. He has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Update by edhat staff
Three vehicles collided on Highway 154 Saturday evening causing seven people to be injured.
At 7:15 p.m., Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to the scene approximately 3/4 of a mile east of the Lake Cachuma entrance. Crews discovered three vehicles involved in a head-on collision.
Public Information Officer Mike Eliason reports a BMW traveling eastbound on Highway 154 two occupants, a male and female, drifted into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a Toyota Tacoma driving westbound with four occupants. Another vehicle that was behind the accident, a Jeep with one female occupant, struck both vehicles.
There was a total of 7 patients, one with critical injuries. A CalStar helicopter landed on Highway 154 and flew the critical patient to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital while three ambulances transported three more patients with moderate injuries to the same hospital. There were three other patients that suffered minor injuries who declined transport to the hospital and were treated at the scene, said Eliason.
Highway 154 was shut down in both directions for a time during the medical response and investigation.
Reported by Roger the Scanner Guy
Highway 154 3/4ths a mile East of Lake Cachuma.
Let’s knock off the stoopid comments about the CHP making money off of ticketing bad drivers; they don’t get squat from the courts, Nor do the meter maids enforcing parking rules.
Just wanted to go ahead and note that the article mentioned that the BMW “drifted” (into oncoming traffic). I am not trying to dissuade the argument about the severity and dangers of speeding on the 154, and especially this stretch of road. I just wanted to point out that there are other dangers to consider and, all in speculation of course, this very well could have been an unfortunate example of falling asleep behind the wheel, not sure…I just hope that everyone is okay and that they recover quickly…
Stop signs on 154? What a ghastly idea. Lower the speed limit and enforce it.
Several vehicle accidents plus a Lake Cachuma Oak tree limb smooshing a campground set up. I say stir clear of this area until the demonic spirits move on.
I’ve been driving this road regular basis for over 30 yrs. Most recently I am on a motorcycle that rides up high. I can honestly tell you that most errant drivers are in rental cars or texting drivers- the regular commuters know the dangers of the road (above mentioned drivers) and drive defensively.
Blame Waze & Google Maps. Those who want to “get to Santa Barbara 10 minutes quicker” are flooding onto the 154 at the northern access by Los Olivos. I say we make it a toll road. Locals would be glad to pay a small fee to stop the carnage caused by these distracted speeders.
Um, its not Google or Waze per se, it’s all GPS systems. Traffic on the 154 should be restricted. No through truck traffic, no bus traffic and no one over 70 in a Prius or a rental Mustang convertible. 🙂
Build a wall. Keep the riff-raff out, the “other”, outsiders who don’t get it. Save the local resources for locals even if access to these resources was paid for by others, by outsiders.
COASTWATCH: How can you tell they’re rental cars? And if you can see from your moving motorcycle that the drivers are texting, you’re very obviously not paying attention to your driving.
@166 EDHAT TROLL
…because I’m a skilled and observant driver… I am also able to ascertain what is a rental car – I am sharp that way.
The GPS issue is a valid concern. I used to live near there and I’m an excellent driver. And so I take 101 to avoid those who are not. I believe the issue around the Lake Cachuma area is the narrow, winding roadway. The speed signs say reduce speed to 45mph and they mean it! Should be 40. Even competent drivers with competent vehicles can’t do 55/60 safely. Like most traffic “accidents”, excessive speed and inattention are the major concerns. All of 154 should be a reduced speed zone, but CalTrans has rules about speed and signage. Slow down and enjoy the view and ride, or not and die. Now that’s a sign I’d like to see. 😉
How about a sign at the bottom of the hill on both sides that has a huge running tally of injured and dead on this road.
Remember the “Blood Alley” sign up near Salinas? It always got my attention and refocused me on speed and safety.
Flashing yellow lights at various locations. Put more CHP units up there and station them in obvious places–they will make a lot of money for the department by writing speeding tickets.
Better than a toll, just add a few stop signs to make the drive slightly longer than the 101 route. Then GPSs won’t recommend it to the general public. Stop signs are an easy money maker for CHP, too.
Ask our local elected officials who oversee Caltrans to be accountable for this continuing carnage – Moinque Limon and Hannah-Beth Jackson. Make anyone running to replace these two accountable about fixing this almost daily, if not weekly carnage. When locals are prevented from accessing their own back country due to unsafe conditions caused by out of town drivers, our local elected officials should have been stopping this a long time ago. However, we do have a long history of “fixing” 154 particularly after Lois Capps and her husband US Rep Walter Capps were devastating accident victims on this very highway. It is beyond time to do something drastic and come clean about who is causing and why are these accidents happening with such morbid frequency.
You’re not an observant Ed hatter or you’d know 166 is a State Hwy or if you’re referring to another poster you need the time stamp.
Wow, the drunk driver was a custody lieutenant at the main jail for 20 years. He saw hundreds, if not thousands, of DUI arrestees during that time yet still made the decision to drive drunk.
His passenger who was airlifted with major injuries also worked for sheriff.
So, was the driver wine tasting or hanging out at the Casino all day?
What does Javier Antunez cost taxpayers: $214,513 in 2017
Custody Sergeant (2017)
Regular pay:$75,939.00
Overtime pay:$30,096.00
Other pay:$11,703.00
Total pay:$117,738.00
Benefits:$96,775.00
Total pay & benefits:$214,513.00 ( Source: Transparent California)
Lock’em up. Give him a taste of what it’s really like on the inside!
(Joyce, not wanting to upset the union will let him off with a verbal warning).
Joyce Dudley protects corrupt cops. Vote her OUT
The do as I say not as I do crowd . Nail him to the wall !
Consider the source. “Transparent California” is just one of the many names used by the tax-exempt “free-market think tank” Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI). NPRI refuses to provide its own funding sources, stating, “NPRI respects the privacy of our donors, which includes the amount of a donor’s gift”.
NPRI’s primary funding source, as determined by The Conservative Transparency Project, is Donors Capital Fund, a dark-money source of funding for conservative groups. Its donors also include The Cato Institute, co-founded by the Koch brothers, and organizations affiliated with the climate change denial movement.
NPRI spends 75% of its revenue on six-figure salaries and benefits. Its goal is to undermine support for employee unions nationwide, thereby decreasing salaries and increasing corporate profits.
Where’s the booking photo? Put it out there and let everyone see it. Don’t hold back SO! Don’t protect your own.
So ? It’s correct.
We live right by Cottage and can watch the air ambulance come in from our living room window. This happens WAY too often and I swear at least 50% of the time it’s coming in (which is usually at least once a day), I go to EdHat to find that it’s ANOTHER crash on the 154. This is seriously insane. I refuse to even drive it anymore – the risk is too high. A death or seriously bodily injury every day seems way too much to risk it. I’m a good driver, but it seems others are too drunk or distracted or road raged out to care about others’ lives. I am sickened!!!
Hope it was their day off.
That POS should lose his job AND retirement benefits immediately. (PERIOD)
Hear Hear ! @ 5:19
Ask anyone you know who is in their database, and you’ll see how inflated it is.
Someone has been smoking way to much carp weed. Conspire much???
I drive this road frequently. As odd as it seems its the very slow and scared drivers that create long strings of traffic. Then some one gets impatient and tries to pass the slower vehicles. Adding more passing lanes ( or adding a lane the whole length) is the best solution.
https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/not-transparent/Content?oid=8366147
The “slow” drivers are probably driving the speed limit. Don’t blame them. Blame the impatient risk takers.
Shorebird, very, VERY often they’re poking along at 40 or 45. 154 is a 55-MPH zone.
There are many sections of 154 that have a lower than 55 mph speed limit. A speed limit of 55 mph means maximum speed – there are many conditions that would make that speed unsafe. (Traffic, mist, fog, rain, etc.) It’s fine to poke along at 45 mph if it is safer. The road DOES need passing areas though. There are sections of the 154 that I HATE to drive – and I’m perfectly happy to pull over and let 1 (or 10, though it’s rarely 10 – I’m not that slow) cars go past me. But there are very few spots for that.
Agree. The biggest hazard on that road are the very slow drivers. Ignoring the traffic flow, ignoring the very basic rule of “move over for faster vehicles”, ignoring the lines of cars behind them or the speed limit signs and instead choosing to drive 45. These people are the biggest hazard anyone faces on a 2 lane hwy like the 154. The worst are the old people who do it on purpose. As if they’re there to set the standard and enforce the rules! All they do is infuriate people and make everything worse. Another reason we need ability tests on elderly drivers. Many of them are well past the day they should be off the road. Slow reaction times, poor vision, poor hearing, poor muscle control etc. All the very same things we arrest people for at DUI checkpoints.
For the record, Javier Antunez’s passenger, Esther K. Trejo, is a Supervising Probation Officer for the Probation Department. Why she got in the car with a drunk fellow law enforcement officer is beyond me… and she supervises employees/and or probationers? Stupidity at its finest. What are you gonna do about this JOYCE DUDLEY?! Or better yet, what is the Probation department going to do about this? Sweep it under the rug along with the 1/2 pound of cannabis that went missing from their evidence room? Public Records Act people, the information is there… you just gotta ask for it. Corruption left and right.
Really, you think those elected officials have that much power, and can micromanage Caltrans into making people drive sensibly? Maybe they could ask the CHP to do increased enforcement on that road, but if everyone is speeding, which it looks to me like they are, then they only get the drivers that are really going fast. I guess the more interesting question to me is why are so many people in such a hurry to get to where they are going? What do they do with that extra 5 mins they saved by driving like maniacs?
Many places are slower than 55. Turns at 45 and even 35 I believe. People rip through them 25 mph above the posted limit and and tailgate people who are driving the posted limit, creating dangerous situations. Everyone just chill the f out on that road. Leave five minutes earlier.
Black Band at 3:30–dude, pretty sure that the money collected by writing speeding tickets goes into the State’s coffers which fund the CHP, you may not know those three letters stand for “California Highway Patrol”. So, yeah, the CHP, i.e., the State of California can make a lot of money ticketing people on the 154 all day long. Have a “stoopid” day.
Men for sure.
All this anti-cop sentiment is ridiculous, and all the hate is over the top. You obviously don’t know Javier or his family. I’ve known them all since they were in diapers. Javier is a quality human being and his parents are the sweetest people on the planet. Javier made a bad mistake. You can bet he will be dealt with harshly. But for one commenter to call him a POS is totally inaccurate. He obviously doesn’t know him. Bad things do happen to good people, and it can happen to anyone. Remember that next time you’re sitting in the jury box….
Seems inaccurate to call this a bad thing that happened to a good person. Like he was unlucky or something. It was his passenger and 5 victims that were unlucky.
Getting a DUI doesn’t “happen” to someone.
Doesn’t make him a POS, which he is not.
Still does not make him a POS
Fix your program to eliminate duplicates, Edhat….
Does this make him a good person though? There is zero excuse for someone, anyone, getting behind the wheel and driving drunk. Period.
scotts – plenty of things wrong. driving drunk is absolutely not one of them, ever. There is zero justification for a drunk driver (contrary to the commenter above) z e r o.
Agreed completely
Agree 100%
Totally makes him a POS. Sorry, he injured numerous people.
I think his passenger should lose her job with the Probation Department as well. I mean, it was her car after all that he crashed so she handed a fellow law enforcement officer her keys while they were both intoxicated? They cost taxpayers so much and everyone feels sorry for them. Why?! They brought this upon themselves!
You read my mind
They definitely think they’re above the law. It’s ridiculous.
Sadly, that might be the case. They retire at 55 with a full pension.
I was the person who called him a POS. HE, no one else made his decision to drive drunk, on 154 of all highways and endanger lives. I happen to be a staunch supporter of LEO’s . I hold them (as they do too), to a higher level of standards- It’s not a “job”, if you are in Public Safety, it’s a way of living your life. Who knows how many other times he did this or other “bad behavior” that would tarnish the Profession… I am sure his family are nice people, HE FAILED and should face SEVERE consequences for putting a black eye on LEO’s in general.
How much does this county official passenger cost tax payers each year, who allegedly allowed a drunk driver and fellow officer to continue driving on public roads? Esther Trejo Takembaiyee
DEP PROBATION OFFICER SUP (2018) TOTAL: $172, 137 —
Regular pay:$98,944.00
Overtime pay:$0.00
Other pay:$2,218.59
Total pay:$101,162.59
Benefits:$70,975.18
Total pay & benefits:$172,137.77 (Source: Transparent California)
I know someone in that database and the numbers are pretty close. Sometimes the extra pay is not really pay because the agency gives money for medical insurance and then takes it back to pay for the premium. So that inflates the salary but is not really income that the worker sees.
The important question is, Is it accurate? From those (a few, compared with the whole) I know, it is accurate. Other questions are: do we, the citizens of California have a right to know what our public employees are being paid? Absolutely, yes! imho, not a public employee. If it is not accurate is there a way to correct it? Not that I have seen. Seems to me that being a _public_ employee comes with/should come with public scrutiny. Many or most work hard but so do comparable private employees — and our (the public’s) employees are paid way, way, way better in both salaries and benefits and retirements. If they don’t like the scrutiny, then there is an easy solution: quit! Very, very, very few of them are irreplaceable. …And as for the funding for Transparent California, if my fellow liberals don’t like the sourcing, then they should produce an alternative Transparent California, maybe called California Openness or some such title. Seems to me that transparency in government is worthy, no matter who supports it, but there does need to be a way for errors to be corrected.
I agree. I have long thought there should be interactive signs along 154: x accidents, y deaths (and the current and prior year.) Maybe just one year so as not to have too many distractions.
This one is outrageous — not least because there is no question about who was driving, about the impairment, yet he is on (paid) administrative leave until? This guy is 20-year-employee: he can leave admin. leave with a fat pension. His passenger must have known….
Do the Sheriffs and Probation Dept. think they are above the law? Do they think they can self-righteously ruin the businesses, families, and lives of wrongdoers but then get loaded after they clock out? Absolutely not. The SBSO needs more accountability and these fools need to lose their jobs and have the book thrown at them.
I never drive on that ridiculous highway and I’m sure he will be dealt with swiftly, so you all can put away your pitchforks because I’m sure all that you guy’s have to protect yourselves anyway’s.
Hopefully Joyce Dudley doesn’t sweep this one under the rug.
Well said! Never mind the fact that those who caused the accident are both law enforcement officers. What kind of background are they doing on these people prior to hiring them?!
Anyone who drives drunk knowing it is wrong is a POS, ANYONE.
Drunk drivers are not “quality human beings”
Causing an accident while driving intoxicated is NOT a matter of “bad things do happen to good people”. That describes the four occupants of the car this person ran into head-on.