LAKEPORT — A Piercy man pleaded no contest in mid-July to felony gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for his role in the September car crash that led to the death of a Lakeport woman.
Anton Timothy Kloiber, 35, remains out of custody while the Lake County Probation Department reviews his case prior to an Aug. 22 sentencing hearing.
Investigators reported that on Sept. 24, Kloiber was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe westbound on Highway 20 when his vehicle moved into the eastbound lane while going around a curve and struck a Nissan pickup head-on.
The Tahoe reportedly continued westbound out of control and collided with the left rear of a Ford F-150 that was traveling eastbound.
The driver of the Nissan, 52-year-old Kimberlee A. Westbay, died at the scene of the collision. The driver of the F-150 sustained leg and back injuries.
The prosecution presented evidence during a preliminary hearing in March that Kloiber was under the influence of prescription medications at the time of the collisions.
Kloiber appeared before Judge Andrew S. Blum at the Lake County Courthouse on July 18 and pleaded no contest to the charge of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to court records. He also admitted a special allegation of having injured a second person during the incident.
Kloiber”s attorney, Judy Conard, said her client remains “extremely remorseful” about the situation. “His decision to enter a plea was based in part on not wanting to put the family through any more,” Conard said.
A second felony count of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury as well as all special allegations pertaining to that charge were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
“We felt altogether, given the circumstances of the case and the defendant”s prior record at the time of the offense, that this was a disposition that adequately serves the interest of justice,” senior deputy district attorney John Langan said.
Kloiber is scheduled to appear before Blum at the Lake County Courthouse on Aug. 22 for sentencing. Both parties agreed to a seven-year state prison term, but the judge will have the final say on sentencing after considering the Probation Department report.
Kloiber is also scheduled to appear in a Mendocino County courtroom on Aug. 26 for sentencing in an unrelated matter, according to Conard. The Ukiah Daily Journal reported in February that Kloiber pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent discharge of a firearm stemming from two separate incidents in December.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
