Steven Spindler, 69, Dies After Crash
Steven Spindler, 69, of Aptos, died Nov. 13 at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in San Mateo County, succumbing to injuries following a crash on Freedom Boulevard in Aptos on Nov. 5.
The California Highway Patrol reported Spindler, in a 2010 Dodge Caravan, was northbound when he made a left turn into Valencia Road, in front of a 1999 Ford E-150 van driven by Moises Pamplona, 64, of Watsonville.
The collision, which occurred at 5 p.m., resulted in Spindler being taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Later he was transferred to Mills-Peninsula Medical Center.
Last week, CHP public information officer Sam Courtney reported there were no visibility issues raised and no charged had been filed.
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“Chop Shop” Arrest in Watsonville
Over the weekend of Nov. 21-22, officers from the Watsonville Police Department responded to an address on Grant Street in Watsonville when they noticed indicators of a “Chop Shop” in progress.
The Watsonville Police department alerted the Santa Cruz County Auto Theft Taskforce who along with Watsonville Police and local CHP, converged on the home Nov. 23 to conduct a probation search of the suspect at that residence.
Officers located several cars that were actively being dismantled, chopped apart, and identified two Hondas that had been stolen. Gustavo Chavez, 28, was arrested for auto theft, possession of stolen property, and operating a motor vehicle chop shop.
TOP PHOTO: Police look over stolen cars in various stages of being dismantled.
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DUI Arrest in Aptos
“Party’s over!”
That’s the headline on a Nov. 16 Facebook post by the California Highway Patrol with a video taken Nov. 14 by a resident who saw a driver narrowly avoid cars on Rio Del Mar Blvd. then crashed on either side of Townsend Drive in Aptos before turning his 1999 Honda Accord ts side. This occurred just before 5 p.m.
The driver, Antonio Ayala, 46, of Aptos, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and booked into Santa Cruz County jail.
An initial investigation found Ayala was involved in a hit-and-run collision with a parked pickup truck at Deer Park shopping center.
The CHP added this message to the video: “As we head into the holiday season, please remember that a DUI crash, or arrest is preventable. Designate a sober driver, use public transportation, call a taxi, use a rideshare company, or stay where you are for the night. A DUI could cost you your license, freedom, life, or the life of another.”
If you see an impaired driver, call 9-1-1. Be prepared to give the dispatcher your location, direction of travel, and a description of the dangerous vehicle on the road — but keep yourself safe.
The remarkable video can be found at www.facebook.com/CHPSantaCruz/videos
Images (in sequence from left) of the video taken on Rio Del Mar Blvd.