Deputy on Trial in Fatal Collision

A deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lomita Station is on trial on a charge of vehicular manslaughter stemming from a fatal collision in July 2011, according to a Daily Breeze report.

Edwin Roberts is accused not paying attention to the road when his pickup truck struck Redondo Beach resident Melania Nuhbegovic, 86, in a crosswalk at the intersection of Avenue C and the Esplanade on July 4, 2011.

Nuhbegovic died of her injuries at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

"(Roberts) is accountable because he wasn't looking forward while driving," Redondo Beach Deputy City Prosecutor Sydne Michel told jurors during her opening statements April 12. The prosecution maintains that Roberts was looking to the right, down Avenue C, for a parking space when the collision occurred.

The defense called the incident an accident. "He knew this was serious," Felipe Plasencia, who represents Roberts, said in his opening statement.

Roberts was not immediately arrested or cited following the collision; according to police, he stopped and tried to help Nuhbegovic after his truck hit her. He did not appear to be under the influence of anything.

According to the Daily Breeze, the Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to file charges, so the Redondo Beach City Attorney's Office pursued the misdemeanor case.

A conviction for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter carries a sentence of up to one year in jail.

• Full story: Accident or Accountability? Off-Duty Lomita Deputy on Trial in Redondo Beach Manslaughter Case [Daily Breeze]

Previously:

• Woman Killed Crossing Street