Woman Charged With DUI, Child Endangerment In Rollover Accident
Car Flipped On Its Roof On West Gutierrez Street
A 30-year-old woman was arrested Sunday evening on felony charges of driving under the influence and child endangerment after she flipped her car in the first block of West Gutierrez Street. The woman and two passengers — her 11-year-old son and his 9-year-old friend — were treated for minor injuries, said Santa Barbara City Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Chris Mailes.
According to officials, Heather Maassen was driving a Honda Civic westbound on Gutierrez Street at around 6:45 p.m. when she struck two cars parked on the north side of the street. The collision caused the Honda to roll onto its roof in the middle of the street. The parked cars were unoccupied.
“As we enter another busy Santa Barbara summer,” Mailes said in a statement, “the SBFD would like to remind drivers to always be aware, drive defensively, and use seat belts. Additionally, please remember to share the road with motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Several accidents involving motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians have recently occurred.”
Police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood said Maassen admitted to using methamphetamine earlier in the day. She was booked in County Jail on $100,000 bail. “This is the third DUI traffic collision in four weeks in Santa Barbara resulting in a felony child endangerment arrest,” Harwood noted.
