On a sunny afternoon on July 23, 2024, tragedy struck near S. Higuera Street and Fontana Avenue in San Luis Obispo, California. Around noon, police officers were called to the scene of an accident involving two bicyclists who had been hit by a vehicle. Sadly, the vehicle responsible had fled before officers arrived.
One of the bicyclists, Saul Goldberg, an 87-year-old man from Avila Beach, was rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite receiving medical care, he succumbed to his injuries on July 31, 2024. The second bicyclist, Martin Suits, a 74-year-old also from Avila Beach, was moderately injured and treated at the hospital.
Just moments after this hit-and-run, another crash was reported at a mobile home park on the 3800 block of S. Higuera Street. This time, a vehicle slammed into a parked car. The driver, identified as Vanessa Noblitt, a 44-year-old from Bend, Oregon, was found to be under the influence of alcohol. Her blood alcohol content was four times the legal limit. Noblitt was arrested on the spot for DUI and hit-and-run involving property damage.
As investigators from the San Luis Obispo Police Department and the Severe Collision Investigative Detail (SCID) team looked into the incidents, they began connecting the dots. Evidence soon pointed to Noblitt and her vehicle being involved in the earlier fatal collision as well.
On August 6, 2024, detectives served a search warrant at Noblitt’s home in Bend, Oregon. They seized several items, including her vehicle, to gather forensic evidence. The investigation continued over the following months with close collaboration between detectives and the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office.
On December 9, 2024, the District Attorney’s Office officially filed charges against Noblitt. A warrant for her arrest was issued two days later. The charges included felony vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI causing injury, felony DUI with a blood alcohol level of 0.15% or higher (two counts), felony infliction of great bodily injury (two counts), and misdemeanor hit-and-run property damage.
Noblitt was taken into custody by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon on December 18, 2024. She is currently awaiting extradition to San Luis Obispo County, where she will face these serious charges. Once she is booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail, her bail will be set at $160,000.
This incident serves as a somber reminder of the devastating consequences of driving under the influence. The loss of Saul Goldberg and the injuries to Martin Suits have left a community grieving, while the legal process unfolds to bring accountability.
