Man pleads no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter in Oildale crash, gets 25 years

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man who had faced a murder charge in connection with a chase that led to a deadly crash in Oildale pleaded no contest Tuesday to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

James Everett Thomas, 35, also pleaded no contest to recklessly evading a peace officer and vehicle theft. Other charges were dismissed.

The plea agreement was negotiated between prosecutor Kacie Barrier and defense lawyer Victor Nasser.

At sentencing, family of Renee Anette Stansbury, who suffered fatal injuries while a passenger in the pickup Thomas drove, spoke with emotion of their loss.

They said they don’t know Thomas — and don’t know what the connection was between him and Stansbury — but are satisfied with the sentence he received.

Stansbury’s sister, Michelle Stansbury, said she hoped their comments gave him some sense of the person he killed — and what she meant to them.

“I hope you will understand the depth of what you have taken from us all,” she told him.

The events leading to the crash began on a September morning last year when deputies were alerted that a stolen brown Chevy Silverado had been seen in the Oildale area.

Soon after, two deputies saw a truck matching that description in the area of East Roberts Lane and Wisteria Street, according to the documents. They followed, and a chase ensued.

The stolen truck turned west into an alley between Decatur Street and Lincoln Avenue and sped up, the reports say. It hit another truck then slammed into a pole, knocking down power lines.

Renee Stansbury, 38, was taken to Kern Medical, where she was pronounced dead.

Thomas, injured in the crash, had methamphetamine in his pants pocket, the reports say.

After the hearing, Stansbury’s family gathered in front of the courthouse. Some of them embraced, others wiped at their eyes.

Stansbury’s sister and mother thanked the victim advocates who accompanied them to court hearings. They’re glad legal proceedings have ended.

“The mourning will never be over, but we are relieved that we did not have to have a trial and we are also very pleased with the outcome,” said Jackie Stansbury, Stansbury’s mother.

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