A bicyclist was hit and killed in SLO in July. Now, a suspect has been arrested
Law enforcement arrested a suspect Wednesday in a fatal hit-and-run crash in San Luis Obispo this summer.
On July 23, two Avila Beach residents were riding electric bicycles southbound on South Higuera Street near the cemetery when the driver of a white sedan sideswiped the first bike and then hit the second, police said in a news release.
Police said 74-year-old Martin Suits was moderately injured, and 87-year-old Saul Goldberg died of his injuries days later at the hospital.
The vehicle fled the scene.
Just minutes later, Vanessa Noblitt, 44, struck a parked car at a mobile home park on South Higuera Street, police said.
The Bend, Oregon, resident had a blood alcohol content four times the legal limit, and she was later arrested on suspicion of DUI and hit and run, police said.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department investigated the two collisions as related, and detectives discovered evidence that linked Noblitt and her vehicle to the fatal hit-and-run.
On Aug. 6, detectives served search warrants at Noblitt’s Oregon home and seized evidence, including her vehicle, police said.
On Dec. 9, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office charged Noblitt with felony vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI causing injury, felony DUI with a blood alcohol content level of .15% or higher, felony inflicting great bodily injury with multiple victims and a misdemeanor hit-and-run causing property damage, police said.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Noblitt on Wednesday in Oregon, where she waited to be transported to the San Luis Obispo County Jail, according to the release.
She will be booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $160,000 bail, police said.
Her arraignment will likely be next week, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Jerret Gran.
This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 5:50 PM.
