Tehachapi News

Police: D.A. to decide on charges against driver who killed local woman

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The Kern County District Attorney's office will decide whether charges will be filed against the driver of the pickup truck that killed Bear Valley Springs resident Peggy Mikkelsen last month, according to police.

An initial toxicology report for the driver, 58-year-old Leonard Campos Jr., was inconclusive, police Bear Valley Springs Police Sgt. John Motley said.

A second report determined he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol while driving, said Bear Valley Springs Police Sgt. David Watts.

On Aug. 28, the truck Campos was driving struck a utility pole on Cumberland Road before rolling downhill and on top of the 64-year-old Mikkelsen as she stood in her front yard at the corner of Bear Valley and Cumberland roads.

Campos and a juvenile passenger were taken to Kern Medical Center and later released after being treated for their injuries, police said.

Watts said Bear Valley Springs police would submit an official incident report to the district attorney's office by Friday, Sept. 25 or early the following week.

The D.A.'s office will determine whether there was any negligence involved or if the accident would be considered an unfortunate incident, Watts said.

“For now, it's looking like a tragic accident,” Watts said.