David Ernest Baskett, 83, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter in connection with a 2024 crash that killed Tiffany Ann Peterson, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Superior Court Judge Karen O’Neil sentenced Baskett to one year of probation in Santa Barbara Superior Court Case No. 24CR06024.
According to the DA’s office, on May 2, 2024, Baskett moved a large forklift onto Skyway Drive near Hangar Street and stopped with its front tires at the road’s edge.
The machine’s 8-foot forks extended into the traffic lane and were elevated about 4 feet off the ground—approximately at windshield height for oncoming vehicles. Prosecutors said Baskett left the forklift in that position without warning approaching traffic…