A former Santa Maria Airport District Director pleaded guilty to a vehicular manslaughter charge stemming from a fatal traffic accident involving a forklift truck.
Prosecutors say David Baskett negligently moved the forklift onto Skyway Drive, leading to the May 2024 accident. The forklift's 8-foot-long forks extended into traffic lanes. An oncoming pickup truck hit the forks. Tiffany Ann Peterson, who was a passenger in the pickup, was killed instantly.
Baskett had initially pleaded not guilty in the case. As a result of a court agreement, he entered a guilty plea to one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter. The 83-year-old Baskett was sentenced to one year of probation.
He lost his bid for reelection to the airport board last year. But, he’s still a member of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees.
