Disturbing History of Survivor in Fatal Highway 154 Crash
Chevy Volt and GMC Yukon following the collision (Photo: Mike Eliason / SBCFD)
By edhat staff
A disturbing history has been revealed of the survivor in the Highway 154 collision that killed a woman and two children on Friday.
On October 25 around 4:45 p.m., a 2014 Chevy Camaro driven by 28-year-old John Roderick Dungan was traveling westbound on Highway 154 approaching the Cold Spring Bridge. The Camaro traveled into the eastbound lane for "unknown reasons" and struck a Chevy Volt driven by Rebecca Vanessa Goss Bley, 34, with two young children in the backseat. A GMC Yukon behind the Volt collided with Bley's vehicle where they both ended off the roadway and caught fire, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Bley and the two children were pronounced dead on the scene while Dungan was extricated from his vehicle and flown to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with severe injuries.
The Independent released a detailed history of Dungan including charges of stalking an ex-girlfriend, gun possession, and severe mental illness with an involuntary stay at a psychiatric hospital.
Santa Barbara authorities received information that Dungan was suicidal and homicidal on Friday, October 25. Minutes before they arrived at his home for a welfare check, they were notified of the Highway 154 collision, reports Tyler Hayden of The Independent.
Authorities have not yet determined if this collision was accidental or intentional.
The Independent uncovered a series of mental health checks on Dungan including one this past February after he expressed suicidal ideation. Officials found numerous guns, armor plating in his Camaro, and $40,000 in cash which he stated is due to his professional poker playing.
Dungan was subsequently placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold and had his weapons confiscated before being transferred to a psychiatric facility in Southern California where he was diagnosed with major depressive disorder with severe psychotic symptoms.
Two ex-girlfriends stated they were scared of Dungan and where one took out a restraining order where he was charged with felony stalking. The full article can be read here.
Law enforcement has yet to release any further information on Dungan's current status or charges in this incident.
RELATED ARTICLES
October 27, 2019: Solvang Woman Identified in Fatal Highway 154 Collision
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100 Comments
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Oct 31, 2019 02:36 PMSBTOWNIE while I agree with your sentiments I would not want you on a jury!
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Oct 31, 2019 11:34 AMThe father made a bold statement saying it was a planned murder/suicide. He must have been given inside information from the CHP. Dungan was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet so his exact actions were recorded and it would be obvious to them if it was an accident or not.
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Oct 30, 2019 05:50 PMHe has an expensive lawyer..
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Oct 30, 2019 04:47 PMReading this much speculation and blame-gaming in the comments is disgusting. As a matter of fact, most Edhat comments are disgusting and petty.
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Oct 31, 2019 04:33 PMChillin, your really just stating the obvious here. Yeah, no one knows if he did it on purpose but him. You think you've unearthed some brilliant logical deduction by reaching that conclusion?
And, strangely, you willfully ignore the very high probability that, with his pattern of behavior, the likelihood that it was an accident vs. an intentional act is clearly lower than if the facts of his past behavior and mindset were more stable.
It's really pretty ridiculous.
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Oct 31, 2019 12:26 PMALEXBLUE - Yes, those are all facts. The problem is, just because there are facts about this horrible mess of a person, doesn't mean that's the reason his car hit her's. It could have been reckless driving, it could have been intentional, it could have been to avoid something in the road. You don't know, I don't know, the investigators don't know....NOBODY knows at this point. Everyone seems to be making the faulty jump in logic - if he was a bad guy and said he wanted to hurt people, then when his car hit another it was because he was a bad guy and he wanted to hurt people. There's a gap in that thinking. You are ignoring (because of emotion likely - and that's OK, we're all human) the possibilities of other causes of this tragedy. Be patient and wait for the investigators to do their jobs.
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Oct 31, 2019 11:55 AMChillin--speculation? How about facts? The guy was a stalker. He admired Eliot Rodgers. He amassed a firearms collection with illegals guns included. He put armor plates in his car. He sent out statements to everyone on his phone that he was suicidal. Police had a wellness call on him that he was suicidal and homicidal hours before he "accidentally" went head on in to a car. Are you serious? The guy was a complete mess and a tragedy in the making--and that's what happened.
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Oct 30, 2019 06:10 PMOCT 30, 2019 04:47 PM ----While your comment, on the other hand, is informative and enlightening.
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Oct 30, 2019 04:32 PMJon, one last thing... just curious if you even read the news about Dungan? The cops were at his house that afternoon for a suicide-concern welfare check when they got the call that he had been involved in a fatal collision. But sure, again, mechanical failure sounds likely.
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Nov 06, 2019 05:09 PMTriple murder charge, Jon.
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Oct 31, 2019 11:01 PMIt's disturbing and telling that he did this on the bridge - where there's almost no way to avoid an oncoming car.
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Oct 30, 2019 05:03 PMIndependent news report and Hayden thrive on making a juicy story out of people's misery. There is no penalty to point fingers and throw people's stories, true or relevant or not, out there. Peter Lance didn't have nice things to say about Tyler Hayden and Independent.
http://peterlance.com/wordpress/?p=9857
Peter is a five time Emmy award and Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award winner.
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Oct 30, 2019 04:45 PMSBTOWNIE - Yeah I read it, so what? Doesn't mean he did it intentionally. Also, I never said it was mechanical failure, that IS unlikely. BUT, given his state, reckless driving (WHICH IS NOT INTENTIONAL MURDER) is a likely cause of this tragedy. Again, could be I'm wrong, but the facts aren't in on either side. Now.... hush up and go outside for breath of air.
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Oct 30, 2019 04:05 PMThis is incredibly sad for everyone concerned. A father/husband with no family is beyond horrible. There is a comment blaming the "Casino". The man was headed in the direction of the Casino, not away from it. So how is it okay to blame them when he hadn't even gotten there yet, if in fact that was where he was headed?
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Oct 30, 2019 03:17 PMYou will note that following mass shooting, and the likely behavior of this man, everyone bemoans the insufficient availability of mental health treatment. Well, mental health treatment does not work well for those whose personality and disorders tilt them away from treatment. As this man.
Why would Judge Adams release a man who seemed unhinged in the courtroom? Why would he be inquiring of the defense attorney? Why would he not have remanded the man into custody and ordered a forensic psychiatric evaluation? And when in doubt, even then, simply revoked his bail - just to be on the safe side, just to protect the public.
If his answer is that the laws don't permit it, then change the laws! We have so many instances where friends, family, distant relatives know the perking danger. Yet these losers go out and act on their deranged thoughts and destroy lives around them.
Plain and simple: This man had illegal weapons, was facing sentencing for that, and his mental status was unquestionably off.- and not just off, but dangerous! Look at his stalking, his conversations, his behavior. Would that not be good reason to deny bail or release from jail pending sentencing?
We're seeing an uptick in the justice system and progressive advocates claiming that individuals need treatment not jail. Dudes like this need jail, or more, and then in jail they can receive treatment. They don't belong in society. Neither did Elliot Rogers or David Attias, who is now free as a bird, without a criminal conviction to his name, because some slick lawyer successfully argued the insanity plea. Our justice system is a joke. It's a get out of jail system for the mentally ill with family or money. Protecting the public is the last thing on their minds.
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Oct 31, 2019 12:37 PMMore than a few Santa Barbara County judges need to challenged and not re-elected. Rise to the occasion, SB legal community.
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Oct 30, 2019 02:41 PMCharge him with homicide.
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Oct 30, 2019 02:40 PMI drove through Yosemite this fall and there are numerous pull over spots that ensure safety. It would add an extra blanket of comfort to implement this simple solution to help those who travel regularly on 154. Let me be clear... the pull over areas are not an extra traveling lane. There should be a pull over lane and guard rails in both directions near the cold Spring Bridge.
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Oct 30, 2019 01:48 PMObviously this guy and his family do not know the “right people” to keep his/their very personal business private.
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Oct 30, 2019 01:32 PMSo I see the "Pre Crime" unit is alive and well on Edhat. As is the CYA governmental agency who coincidentally happened to be doing a safety check that day on this guy. As for the accident, if you've driven down the slope from East Camino Cielo to Cold Springs Bridge into the SYV, then you know a vehicle can get a lot of speed going down this hill. It's two lanes in both directions. It then collapses into one lane right before the bridge. The bridge itself funnels cars even tighter as there's no shoulder. Add in the fencing rails to prevent jumpers, it's a truly strange effect for anyone crossing the bridge who's not done it before. A vehicle could easily get to 90 mph plus, raising the ease of drifting across the double yellow and into oncoming traffic. It is terrible and truly sad for the deceased and her family and friends. For all of us in fact.
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Nov 01, 2019 01:49 AMOCT 31, 2019 04:26 AM Make your own paragraphs by using hyphen or asterisk or . . . . . . . . .
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Oct 31, 2019 11:57 AMOkay so his suicidal homicidal statements on the day of the tragedy don't indicate to you that he was likely to have been at least driving recklessly and at worst intentionally went head on and killed three people. Really.
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Oct 31, 2019 04:26 AMI HATE that there are no space /paragraph breaks on Edhat!!!
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Oct 31, 2019 04:25 AMUnfamiliarity with a road is always a fact. But "A vehicle could easily get to 90 mph plus..." ?!?! ===============================================================NO effin' WAY. I've never driven at 90 plus.
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Oct 30, 2019 11:22 AMThe quality of some of these comments is staggering. It may be that he lost control of his car, either because of a mechanical failure or something in the roadway or even because of a distraction. ...I'd imagine that the survivor, the husband and father, would prefer that to thinking that someone intentionally took the lives of his family and I hope he and her family does not read these comments. Noozhawk has a touching story about him.
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Oct 31, 2019 11:09 PMThe chances that this was an accident and not intentional is about the same as if someone took off with a gun while threatening to kill himself and others, and the gun accidentally going off and killing three people and injuring 2, including the guy holding it. Not very likely.
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Oct 31, 2019 04:38 AMThis is not a comment re: facts of the collision. This is a comment re: several comments/a conversation on this thread, which seems to be a group who knows each other and which "member" is posting anonymously. I saw what happened on Independent website comments. Please take it down a notch or find somewhere else to play!! Sheesh. Take it outside = take it to messaging/email. PLEASE!
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Oct 30, 2019 04:41 PMSBTOWNIE - There you go again.... you're really impossible. Calm yourself down and be rational, not reactive. There are other reasons for a car driving down the backside of 154 right before the bridge to hit oncoming traffic right where 2 lanes become one. Reckless driving/passing is not the same as intentionally driving head first into oncoming traffic. Not saying it's one or the other, just trying to impress the importance of not jumping to conclusions. Honestly, it's like banging my head against a wall in here, so.... I'm out. Have fun.
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Oct 30, 2019 04:27 PMCool. Yeah, Jon. Let's go with Bird's idea. Mechanical failure is what caused this. A suicidal maniac with a mental illness, a personality disorder, and a history of harassment and stalking who loved guns and Elliot Rodger kills 3 people. Definitely sounds like mechanical failure to me. But I'll wait for the "facts" and see what the very reliable Mr. Dungan has to say for himself. We can definitely rely on that. We're talking murder (2nd) or manslaughter, not whether he gets charged or not. There are no other options. His vehicle did not fail. But, yeah, "you do you," too, boo, and keep thinking whatever you want. We'll meet back here to assess the charges once the DA decides between murder and manslaughter. Dungan is done.
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Oct 30, 2019 04:21 PMSBTOWNIE - yeah, you are suggesting just that, but in more words. You've explicitly stated you don't "care about his motive." Yeah, we need to take all facts into account, but you're not doing that. It's disrespectful to speculate in general. I don't give a rats patootey about the driver. He was/is a sick person, but it doesn't mean I'm going to make assumptions and speculate about this horrible tragedy. You do you, though.
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Oct 30, 2019 04:15 PMHey Jon, calm down. No, I don't suggest that. I suggest a pattern of evidence based on all history be taken into account when deciding how to charge him. Not what he claims was or was not his motive. I never said anything like what you are suggesting. What I objected to was being told - not sure if it was by you, or another commenter - that people suggesting the perp is "evil" and "killed" the family was out of line and somehow disrespectful to a man who has lost everything due to this sicko. I disagree that is it in any way disrespectful to pass judgement on Dungan and his despicable history. It makes complete sense and commenters here saying we are somehow making the world a worse place for doing so can take a hike.
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Oct 30, 2019 03:40 PMSBTOWNIE - you pretty clearly don't know how the law works. Do you suggest that just because this guy is a piece of garbage, that he be automatically charged with intentional homicide, whether it was intentional or not? I just want to be sure you're saying what it sounds like you're saying.
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Oct 30, 2019 03:08 PMThere is literally no way to discern his motive. Are you suggesting we just ask him and go with whatever he says? That we believe a man with a history of stalking and admiration for Elliot Rodger? I'm not a moron and I know how the law works.
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Oct 30, 2019 02:56 PMSBTOWNIE -also... I'm not making excuses for anyone, I'm sticking up for the rule of law. He is a POS, a dirtbag, sicko, yes. BUT, the law applies no matter what.
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Oct 30, 2019 02:52 PMSBTOWNIE - are you serious? "Who cares what his motive was?" Um, everyone, that's who. It's pretty central to the prosecution of this case. Good thing you're not a lawyer!
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Oct 30, 2019 02:43 PMAND ONE MORE THING - How will they ever know? Based on your line of reasoning - that we should just "wait and see what the motive was" - all this lunatic has to do is say, "I didn't mean to do it" and he's off the hook. TERRIBLE, terrible logic. It's not up to him to tell us what his motive was in the exact moment. He has a TRACK RECORD, and now it's time to hold him to account.
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Oct 30, 2019 02:41 PMAlso, don't you have better things to do than make excuses for deranged men with a history of stalking? Really who cares what his motive was at that exact moment. He's messed up, has a trail of incidents to prove it, and now killed three innocents. Is your priority really making sure we don't prematurely judge the motives of someone with a record like this who admired Elliot Rodger?!
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Oct 30, 2019 02:38 PMJust so we're clear, @2:35 - the father specifically says "evil" extinguished his family.
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Oct 30, 2019 02:35 PMSBTOWNIE - has sick as this man may have been, we don't know if he intentionally caused this tragic wreck. THAT is the point I and many others have been trying to make. No one knows yet, other than the driver himself, whether crossing the line was intentional or just stupid and reckless. There is a HUGE difference between those. I can't imagine the pain the father is feeling, but they just don't know yet why it happened. When they do, then please by all means voice your anger, but doing so now isn't helping anyone.
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Oct 30, 2019 02:25 PMI'm confused by both of you. Did you READ the father's words? He clearly knows that true evil was found in the man who killed his family. His world has been destroyed by this sick, demented person. What are we doing wrong by agreeing that this guy was totally perverse and wicked? You make no sense.
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Oct 30, 2019 01:48 PMBIRD and 1:32 (and all the others) - thank you for your sensibilities about this. Most other comments are sickening here.
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Oct 30, 2019 11:14 AMA "professional poker player", alcohol enthusiast, another Chumash Casino related death on 154? Is it racist to imply that connection?
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Oct 30, 2019 06:19 PMLUCKY777. This death isn't "Chumash-related" in any way, shape or form. Dungan was driving toward the Valley, but no-one knows his destination.
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Oct 30, 2019 01:47 PMLUCKY 777 - no it's not racist to "imply" that connection, it's just awful and simple-minded in general.
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Oct 30, 2019 10:17 AMThe death penalty should be on the table. Why should the taxpayers pay to keep this man in prison?! He contributes nothing positive to humanity and the world will be better without him.
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Oct 30, 2019 10:12 AMThey shoulda thrown him off the bridge instead of putting him in the helicopter, or better yet, throw him out of the helicopter out at sea where the sharks could fill their bellies.
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Oct 30, 2019 08:12 AMHe looks and sounds like real a POS. Hope he is found guilty of murder and gets lengthy prison term.
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Oct 30, 2019 07:52 AMNot sure if this is a wise Idea Edhat. posting this guys history. just saying.
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Oct 30, 2019 05:08 AMCurious about the extent of the murderer's injuries. I don't usually wish bad things for people but hoping he won't physically be capable of harming anyone else. What he did is beyond wrong, no words to describe how knowing he intended this makes me feel. The husband wrote about some of his thoughts and feelings, it's beautifully gut wrenching.
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Oct 30, 2019 03:24 AMThis Dungan guy *only* slaughtered three people. David Attias (Isla Vista, 2001) killed five with his car and he's out walking around since 2012, free as a bird. Attias' "payment" for his crime? 10 years in a state mental institution. If Dungan denies he intentionally crossed over those double yellow lines, and you can damn well bet his attorney will tell him to say just that, he'll get away with this, most assuredly. Another grand perversion of justice.
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