No alcohol found in teen who crashed into Sonoma family of four

<p>The 19-year-old driver involved in a crash at Lakeville Road and Highway 37 that killed four members of a Sonoma family nearly three weeks ago did not have any alcohol in his system, California Highway Patrol officials announced Thursday afternoon.</p><p>Steven Culbertson of Petaluma reportedly sped through a red light at the intersection and crashed into several cars, including a Nissan Quest carrying the Maloney family.</p><p>Susan Maloney, 42, her husband, John, 45, and their children, Grace, 5, and Aiden, 8, were killed. Culbertson died later at a hospital.</p><p>CHP investigators also said they found no evidence that Culbertson had been at a Petaluma bar before the crash.</p><p>“We all expected he'd come back under the influence of alcohol,” CHP Officer John Sloat said. “Now we're scratching our heads wondering why he'd be driving like that sober.”</p><p>CHP officers had interviewed Michael Loffredo of Petaluma, who reported that on the evening of the crash he had seen Culbertson sitting at the bar of Traxx, a Petaluma bar and restaurant. Loffredo said he also noticed a white Mini Cooper, the make and color of Culbertson's car, in the parking lot.</p><p>Even if Culbertson was at the bar, it would have been legal, according to investigators with Alcoholic Beverage Control.</p><p>“The bar in question, Traxx, is licensed as a bar and restaurant, which would have allowed Culbertson to be inside the bar,” the report said.</p><p>Chris Cheney, Traxx's owner, said he was relieved the CHP report cleared his bar's name.</p><p>“We knew from the beginning that we had nothing to do with this,” Cheney said. “I've heard a lot of bad things about my business lately knowing we had nothing to do with this.”</p><p>Examiners found some prescription drugs in Culbertson's system which were likely given to Culbertson at the hospital after the crash, CHP Officer John Sloat said. Further toxicology tests are being done to determine if that's the case, Sloat said.</p><p>Investigators will continue interviewing friends and family of Culbertson to piece together his state of mind leading up to the crash, Sloat said.</p><p>Attempts to reach Culbertson's family on Thursday were unsuccessful.</p><p>The CHP has reported that as Culbertson approached Highway 37 southbound on Lakeville, he came upon a Honda CRV stopped for a red light. The Mini, speeding at what witnesses estimated was 70 to 90 mph, clipped the back of that car and flew into the intersection against the light at about 9:20 p.m. Nov. 28, hitting the Maloney vehicle.</p><p>Sloat said it appears Culbertson didn't try to slow before running the red light. No skid marks were at the scene.</p><p>The CHP confirmed that Culbertson had been arrested once before for drunken driving in a 2007 Lake County crash when he was 17. His driver's license was suspended for a year, the standard punishment after such an arrest.</p><p>Culbertson had no other driving infractions, the CHP said.</p>