MAN CHARGED WITH VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER FOR KILLING 19-YEAR-OLD GERMAN TOURIST WHILE DRIVING HIGH ON METHAMPHETAMINE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 17WF1682     

Date: August 10, 2017

MAN CHARGED WITH VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER FOR KILLING 19-YEAR-OLD GERMAN TOURIST WHILE DRIVING HIGH ON METHAMPHETAMINE

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged yesterday with vehicular manslaughter for killing a 19-year-old German tourist while driving high on methamphetamine in Seal Beach.

Defendant

Charges

Maximum Sentence

Court Date

Matthew Ryan Wood, 25, Seal Beach

Felony

  • Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated
  • Sale / transportation of a controlled substance
  • Possession of a controlled substance with firearm

12 years in state prison

Arraignment

Aug. 11, 2017, 10:00 a.m.

Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana

Circumstances of the Case

  • On Dec. 9, 2016, at approximately 2:00 p.m., the defendant is accused of driving eastbound on Westminster Avenue in the city of Seal Beach.
  • Wood is accused of swerving over the center median, into the westbound lanes of Westminster Avenue and colliding head-on with a Kia Sedona.
  • The driver of the Sedona, 19-year-old German tourist Lisa Schelborn, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
  • The defendant was transported to UC Irvine Medical Center in critical condition.
  • At the time of the collision, Wood is accused of driving under the influence of methamphetamine, attempting to transport methamphetamine for sale, and being in possession of a firearm while carrying a controlled substance.
  • Seal Beach Police Department investigated this case and arrested the defendant on Aug. 9, 2017.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Dan Feldman, Homicide Unit.