Vehicle crash kills North Ranch teen

By Saria Kraft kraft@theacorn.com

PATRICK SHELBY/The Acorn REMEMBERING-From left to right are Sara Yamashita, 11, Allie Fridstein, 11, Eric Fridstein, 9, Allison Arentzoff, 11, and Karen Cutaran, 10. They're visiting a temporary Valley Spring Drive memorial in North Ranch to mourn the loss of Gregory "Chase" Arnett, 13, who died in a one-vehicle crash.

A popular local boy who loved the ocean, the snow and the camaraderie of his many friends will be laid to rest tomorrow at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park and Cemetery in Westlake Village.

Funeral services for Gregory "Chase" Arnett, Jr., will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, with visitation tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. at the cemetery.

Chase, 13, was killed Saturday night when his friend’s pickup truck plunged down a steep embankment on Valley Spring Drive in Thousand Oaks. The vehicle, driven by Chase’s 16-year-old neighbor, was just a few blocks from where the kids lived as neighbors in North Ranch. They were almost home.

Just last month, Chase had celebrated promotion from Colina Middle School with a trip to Magic Mountain and an eighth-grade dance.

"He was a good student with a big smile and lots of friends," said Mike Waters, Colina principal. "Chase was a very easygoing boy. I remember he enjoyed surfing, and I remember his older sisters very well.

"This is a family that’s really cared about in the community," Waters said.

Chase was the only son of Dr. Gregory Arnett, a retired dentist, and the nephew of Dr. Timothy Arnett, a Thousand Oaks dentist, and Dr. William Arnett, an oral surgeon.

"He was the best brother you could ever imagine," said Ali Arnett, 15. "He was amazing and everyone loved him.

"My brother was going to play water polo for Westlake (High School)," she said. "They already started practicing this summer."

The boy, his dad and their neighbor would catch the waves at County Line beach nearly every weekend, Ali said, adding that Chase and the driver were more than surf buddies.

"They were like brothers," Ali said. "It’s very hard."

On July 10, the trio, including passenger Brandon Merritt, 15, was headed east on Valley Spring Drive. Coming out of a turn near Club View Drive, the driver lost control of the 2000 Ford Lighting pickup.

At 10:13 p.m., the truck skidded several hundred feet, crashed through a wooden fence and upended. The roof struck a large tree and the vehicle overturned down the embankment, Thousand Oaks police said.

Chase died at the scene as a result of head trauma, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office.

Merritt and the driver were taken to Los Robles Medical Center where the driver was released on Sunday. Merritt, who was admitted in serious condition, was stable by Monday and upgraded from fair to good condition yesterday.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, which may take a month or more to conclude, said Sgt. Patti Salas, Thousand Oaks police.

"It appears that excessive speed was a factor," Salas said. "There is no indication at this time that the driver was under the influence."

Evidence shows that the 13-year-old was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, police said Wednesday. Due to the nature of the crash, it has yet to be determined whether the driver and second passenger were wearing theirs, Salas said.

The driver will be found in violation of his provisional driver’s license, Salas added. In licenses issued to 16- and 17-year-olds, drivers may not carry passengers under the age of 20 for the first six months without an adult present.

The driver had just received his license on May 3.