August 20, 2021 – Santa Barbara County, Ca.
When Kevin Alvarado-Velasquez, a 24-year-old resident of Lompoc, made the decision to put a one-year-old infant onto the seat of his off-road all-terrain vehicle and go charging down the city streets of his hometown, that was, apparently, a serious lapse of judgment.
The fact that Alvarado-Velasquez was ultimately determined to have been driving the vehicle while intoxicated certainly didn’t do much to improve his judgment, and the immediate result was and crash that caused the death of the child.
According to Lompoc Police Department spokesman Sgt. Sergio Arias, by the time officers and emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene at approximately 6:15 p.m. on August 12 th , “they found the boy who had been ejected from the vehicle.” The prompt transport of the boy to a local area hospital failed to save him; he died shortly thereafter from injuries sustained in the crash.
For his part, Alvarado-Velasquez suffered only minor injuries and was taken into custody at the scene. He was then transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, child abuse resulting in death, and driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury.
He was also charged with willfully causing great bodily injury and death to a child under the age of five, earning him a significant potential sentencing enhancement. His bail was set at $150,000.
Photo: Courtesy www.freep.com
