Mistrial declared in drunk driving case against Newport man

A San Luis Obispo County judge declared a mistrial in the case against a Newport Beach man accused of killing his passenger in a 2009 drunk driving crash, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.

Kurt Naegele, 41, was arrested Sept. 18, 2009, after a fatal crash on the Hearst Ranch airstrip, a few miles from Hearst Castle.

The judge ended the trial after Naegele’s attorneys failed to give proper notice to prosecutors about an expert witness they were calling to testify, the Tribune reported. A new trial is expected to begin early next year, the paper reported.

Police said Naegele was drunk and speeding when he rolled his Range Rover off an embankment, killing one of its passengers.

— Joseph Serna

Twitter: @JosephSerna