Driver of Oil Tanker Charged for Oil Spill into Cuyama River

Source: Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office

District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced today that the Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed charges in Santa Barbara County Superior Court against Jesse Villasana, the driver of an oil tanker truck allegedly responsible for spilling approximately 4,533 gallons of oil into the Cuyama River on March 21, 2020.

The misdemeanor criminal complaint alleges that, while hauling approximately 6,678 gallons of crude oil, Villasana drove at an unsafe speed and made an ulawful turning movement in violation of Vehicle Code Sections 22350 and 22107. These actions allegedly caused the oil tank to roll off Villasana’s truck into the Cuyama River, where 4,533 gallons of crude oil were allegedly released in violation of Fish and Game Code Section 5650(a)(1). Villasana is further charged with two violations of Fish and Game Code Section 2000 for allegedly causing the death of at least two birds—a belted kingfisher and a mallard—in connection with the spill.

Villasana is schedule to be arraigned in the Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria on June 25, 2021.

March 21, 2020: Overturned Oil Tanker Leaks Crude Oil into Cuyama River