MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AND COLLIDING WITH OFF-DUTY COSTA MESA FIRE & RESCUE CAPTAIN

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 6, 2018

Case # 18HF1525

Contact:

Susan Kang Schroeder

Chief of Staff

Orange County District Attorney

Michelle Van Der Linden

Spokesperson

Orange County District Attorney

Carrie Braun

Public Information Manager

Orange County Sheriff’s Department

Office:

714-347-8408

714-347-8405

714-647-1808

Cell:

714-292-2718

714-323-4486

714-904-7042

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AND COLLIDING WITH OFF-DUTY COSTA MESA FIRE & RESCUE CAPTAIN

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged today with ­­­­­murder for driving under the influence of drugs and colliding with off-duty Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Captain Mike Kreza, who was cycling in Mission Viejo.

Defendant

Charges

Maximum Sentence

Court Date

Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 25, Mission Viejo

Charged today with:

  • One felony count of murder

 

15 years to life in state prison

Arraignment

Nov. 6, 2018, time to be determined

Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana

Circumstances of the Case

  • On Nov. 3, 2018, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Scarpa is accused of driving a van eastbound on Alicia Parkway near Via Burgos in Mission Viejo while under the influence of multiple controlled substances.
  • The defendant is accused of driving into the bike lane, onto the sidewalk, and striking cyclist 44-year-old Mike Kreza, an off-duty Captain and 18-year veteran of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, who was rendered unconscious with severe head and body trauma.
  • Witnesses called 911 and emergency medical responders transported Kreza to a local hospital in critical condition.
  • The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) Major Accident Reconstruction Team investigated this case and located several prescription medications in Scarpa’s vehicle.
  • An OCSD drug recognition expert evaluated Scarpa and arrested the defendant at the scene.
  • On Nov. 5, 2018, Captain Mike Kreza died at the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the collision, leaving behind a wife and three young girls.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Daniel Feldman, Homicide Unit