Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced Tuesday, December 16, that Brock Hoffman of Santa Barbara, age 56, was sentenced to two years in state prison.
On November 3, Hoffman pled guilty to a felony violation of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death or serious permanent injury.
“The defendant was held accountable in this case due to the outstanding work, dedication, and collaboration between the Santa Barbara Police Department and the prosecution team led by Deputy District Attorney Michelle Mossembekker. The pain associated with this tragic loss of life was exacerbated by the defendant’s criminal decision to leave the scene without contacting the authorities or attempting to render aid,” said District Attorney John Savrnoch.
The sentence stems from a traffic collision in the late hours on June 29, 2024 near Cliff Drive and Loma Alta in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara Police dispatch received a 9-1-1 call about an injured pedestrian lying on the road around 11:38 p.m. in the 800 block of Cliff Drive.
When officers arrived on scene, they discovered 39-year-old Juan Lopez had been struck by a vehicle, and the vehicle fled the scene. Lopez, the store manager of Vons grocery, had reportedly just gotten out of his car that he parked on the street when investigators believe he was hit by Hoffman’s Toyota Land Cruiser.
Lopez passed away from the injuries he sustained from the collision.
After days of investigative teamwork by Santa Barbara Police Traffic Investigators and Detectives identified and located the vehicle involved in the collision.
Further investigation led to the identification of the individual driving the vehicle as Hoffman. He surrendered himself to police on July 4, 2024 at the Santa Barbara Police Department, where he was subsequently arrested around 10:00 a.m. Hoffman was released on a bail of $50,000.
Hoffman initially appeared at the Santa Barbara Superior Court where he entered a Not Guilty plea. He later changed his plea to “no contest.”
A GoFundMe online fundraiser has been set up to help support Lopez’s family and cover funeral costs.
“Our family will never be the same , the memories we were supposed to create will never be but we will hold on to and cherish the many years of memories we had with him,” the fundraiser states.
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Wow, only 2 years. Im guessing he was drunk, if so he saved himself a decade in prison by leaving the scene.
The injustice of the justice system. Raymond Morua, a vet, pled guilty to a hit and run fatality a few years back and got a 20 years to life sentence. This guy get two years in state prison.
The difference? o\On the face of it-
Raymond was drunk (bet Hoffman was too, he just fled and hit til he sobered up); Morua, a Latino, killed a young white waitress. Hoffman, an older white man, hit and killed a Latino man.
There may be other reasons for the different sentences but on the face of it, it sure sounds like two different justice systems.
Muroa had two previous DUIs which resulted in more serious charges. The judge even stated the previous dui’s played a factor in both the charges and sentencing (go back and read the Independent article). Hoffman had no history. It’s not always about race.