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Pescadero
Soquel man dies in crash
A Soquel resident was one of two young men who died in a crash Monday afternoon on Highway 1 near Pescadero, the California Highway Patrol said.
The San Mateo County Coroner's Office identified the local resident as Forrest Peck, 23.
The other man who died, who was driving the 2011 black Kia Soul in the accident, was Jacob Breaux, 18, of Salinas, coroner's officials said.
Two other men from the Santa Cruz area, ages 24 and 26, were in the Kia and transported to Stanford Medical Center for treatment of mild to moderate injuries, officer Art Montiel said.
Breaux was driving south about 3:30 p.m. when he lost control just north of Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Montiel said.
The Kia drifted onto the right shoulder then swerved left into northbound lanes before overturning and landing on its roof on the east side of the highway, Montiel said. One of the men was ejected, Montiel said.
Peck's Facebook page states that he worked as a barista at Staff of Life, attended Cabrillo College, and had attended Kaiser High School in Honolulu and Tamalpais High in Mill Valley.
Officers are investigating what might have caused Breaux to lose control, Montiel said.
The CHP asks anyone who witnessed the incident to call 650-369-6261.
SANTA CRUZ
Man robbed of cash in hotel room
A black man believed to be about 19 or 20 accompanied by a black woman in her late teens went to the victim's room at the Sunset Inn at 2424 Mission St. around 4:20 p.m., Lt. Colleen McMahon said. The pair forced their way into the room and the man allegedly pointed a gun at the victim and demanded money.
The man handed over the money and the robbers fled on foot. The victim told police he'd seen the pair earlier but didn't know them, McMahon said.
The woman was wearing a white sweatshirt and baggy pants, McMahon said. The man, who had short hair, was wearing a striped long-sleeve shirt and appeared to be about 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall. Both had thin builds.
No arrests had been made as of Tuesday evening.
SANTA CRUZ
Man arrested in drug bust
Members of the Santa Cruz County Anti Crime Team arrested a Santa Cruz man Tuesday after a two-week investigation of a suspected street-level drug supplier, according to a police press release.
Jose Luis Herrera, 41, was arrested about 2 p.m. in the 2000 block of North Pacific Avenue, Sgt. Eric Montalbo said.
After the arrest, the Anti Crime Team served a search warrant for the suspect's home, vehicle and place of employment.
During the search of Herrera's vehicle, agents found 51 bindles of cocaine and methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $16,000, according to the press release.
Herrera was booked into County Jail.
APTOS
3 hurt in crash outside Aptos High
A 21-year-old driver and his passenger suffered major injuries early Tuesday when the driver tried to speed through a light turning red at Freedom Boulevard and Mariner Way, striking a pickup that was turning left toward Aptos High, the California Highway Patrol said.
Luis Fernando Corona was driving a 1997 Audi A4 eastbound about 6:30 a.m. when he saw the light changing and accelerated, officer Sarah Jackson said.
Corona's Audi struck the right front of a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado driven by a 16-year-old girl who was turning from westbound Freedom Boulevard onto Mariner Way, Jackson said.
Corona and his passenger, a 22-year-old Aromas man, were trapped in the Audi. Fire crews extricated them, and they were transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, she said.
The teen suffered minor injuries and her parents took her to get medical treatment, she said.
The crash tied up the morning commute and school traffic, and also damaged a fence and streetlight on school property, Jackson said.
Corona will be cited for reckless driving and for not having a license in his possession, Jackson said.
SANTA CRUZ
Trial set in Capitola homicide case
A trial date of June 17 was scheduled Tuesday for a man accused of robbing and killing an acquaintance in Capitola on Dec. 11, 2011.
Marcos Robert Chavez, 24, is accused of stabbing, bludgeoning and robbing Ronald Aaron Carpenter, 36, inside Chavez's studio apartment.
Chavez has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He remains in Santa Cruz County Jail.
Prosecutor Celia Rowland has said the two men, both veterans who attended Cabrillo College, had dinner and drinks together the night Carpenter was killed, and that Chavez planned to rob him.
The trial had been set for June 3 but was rescheduled Tuesday.
SANTA CRUZ
No ID yet in Highway 129 fatality
Santa Cruz County coroner's deputies have not yet been able to identify a man killed early Monday on Highway 129, the Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
The California Highway Patrol said the man was struck by a 2005 GMC Sierra truck that was heading east between Carlton and Silliman roads about 5:50 a.m.
The 42-year-old driver told officers he saw a person standing in the highway, facing north, and couldn't avoid hitting him, the CHP said.
Officers reported that it was dark with patches of fog at the time and that several vehicles struck the man.
They do not know what he was doing there, CHP officer Sarah Jackson said Tuesday.
Investigators asked anyone with information on the collision to call CHP dispatchers at 831-796-2160.
