SLO County man charged with misdemeanor after pedestrian hit, killed in crash
The man who authorities say hit and killed a beloved Atascadero animal rescue activist in December has been charged with manslaughter.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office charged Gary Phillip Tipton, 66, with vehicular manslaughter with ordinary negligence — a misdemeanor — and an infraction for failing to yield to the right-of-way of a pedestrian on March 26, according to court records.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges at his arraignment on April 20, according to court records.
Tipton hit and killed Rachel Somars Hoffman, 69, while she was crossing the highway on-ramp on San Anselmo Road on Dec. 1, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release at the time.
He turned left onto the highway entrance in his Ford F-150 pickup truck, allegedly failing to yield to her pedestrian right-of-way as she was within the crosswalk.
Somars Hoffman was on her daily walk to work at the Meade Canine Rescue Resale Shop at 4303 El Camino Real, where she was the long-time volunteer store manager, when she was hit and killed.
She was described by friends, loved ones and community members as an eccentric, energetic, creative and whole-heartedly kind woman who dedicated her life to helping animals.
“Rachel Somars was a force unto herself,” Charlotte Meade, Meade Canine Rescue Foundation director and a close friend to Somars, previously told The Tribune. “Selfless, funny, smart and completely committed to helping the voiceless.”
The manslaughter charge against Tipton is a misdemeanor rather than a felony due to the lack of malice, gross negligence or intent to kill Somars Hoffman.
He faces a maximum sentence of one year in county jail.
Tipton is expected back in court for a pre-trial conference on June 8.
