A report on the Starbuck’s crash which took the life of former Marine Sergio Mendez is completed and is at the District Attorney's Office for review, stated Sheriffs Capt. Monica McGrath on Monday, April 9th. No public release date has been obtained.

Mendez’ aunt, Belen Burgos, who spoke with the FillmoreGazette publisher said the Department of Motor Vehicles has reported the crash as involving an injury but makes no mention of the fatality. She questioned why the fatality was not noted and if it would have affected Cedarland’s driver’s license status.

Information has also surfaced about the possible medical history of Michael Cedarland, whose car crashed into Starbucks on December 13, 2011, killing Mendez.

Following are excepts from reporter Stephanie O’Neill’s article with 89.3KPCC: “KPCC has learned that the California Department of Motor Vehicles has allowed the sheriff’s deputy to keep his driver’s license in apparent violation of DMV policy, even after it had suspended the deputy’s license once before because of a seizure.

This story began last May when L.A. County sheriff’s deputy Michael Cedarland had a seizure while working at the Pitchess Detention Center in Valencia. Coworkers said he was “walking around in a catatonic state.”

That episode caused the DMV to suspend Cedarland’s license last July, according to records obtained by KPCC. But a family practice doctor cleared him to drive again.

Based based on that doctor’s report, the DMV restored Cedarland’s license last November. That's according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department accident report.

Six weeks later, Cedarland lost consciousness again, this time while driving his Chevy Tahoe on State Route 126 through the town of Fillmore.”

“State law requires local health officials to inform the DMV when anyone 14 or older loses consciousness. Citing confidentiality laws, DMV spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez refused to answer medical questions about Cedarland’s case. She did say that in a case such as Cedarland’s, the DMV would be likely to "immediately" suspend a driver’s license "for an indefinite term." Yet Gonzalez told KPCC the agency has not suspended Cedarland’s license since the fatal accident.”

“What’s more, the DMV failed to suspend Cedarland's license even after he suffered yet another seizure less than three weeks after the Starbucks accident.

That one happened at his home on Jan. 3, 2012. Paramedics said Cedarland, who just turned 31, suffered a grand mal seizure. They transported him to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, where an emergency room doctor diagnosed him with epilepsy.

A spokesman for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department last week confirmed that Cedarland remains on duty, but said the seven-year sheriff’s veteran does not drive a county vehicle as part of his duties.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said it will submit the case to the district attorney for consideration of criminal charges against Cedarland relating to the Starbucks crash.”

The full 89.3KPCC article can be read at http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/04/11/31983/la-county-sheriffs-deputy-who-....

Background: At approximately 7:07 p.m. on Tuesday December 13th, 12 Fillmore Fire units responded to a vehicle collision at Starbucks in Fillmore at the corner of A Street and Highway 126. A Chevrolet Tahoe had crashed through the east wall of the business, near the drive thru, pinning several people against tables and walls. Eye witnesses said the vehicle was traveling about 50 miles per hour when it struck the building’s exterior wall. The driver identified himself as Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Deputy Michael Cedarland. He stated he had apparently fallen asleep or lost consciousness and veered from the westbound lanes of Highway 126 (Old Telegraph Road) across the eastbound lanes, over the sidewalk, across the parking lot for approximately 100 yards, between two large palm trees before crashing through Starbucks east wall. The vehicle traveled completely through the front lounge coming to rest against the front door and corner. Mendez, who was sitting in a large brown chair on the east wall of the building near the point of impact, was pinned against the front door on the opposite side of the dining area. His injuries resulted in his death during surgery at Ventura County Medical Center. Two other patrons, Jose Iraheta and Thomas Michaels, were injured when they were pinned against the south wall of the dining area.

A memorial vigil attended by family and friends of Mendez was held about a month after the crash. At that time Mendez’ aunts, Clara Quimbayo and Burgos, told interviewers that they were seeking an “impartial investigation of what happened.” They were concerned that the investigation may be biased due to the fact that the driver was a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy, off duty at the time of the accident.