Valley Center
Former Deputy Dist. Atty. Charles Van Dusen pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Van Dusen, 37, of Escondido, is charged in the Sept. 2 crash that killed Carol Benson, 45, a teacher from Escondido, near Valley Center.
San Diego Municipal Judge Robert McDonald set a Dec. 19 preliminary hearing. Van Dusen is free on his own recognizance.
The former prosecutor resigned several weeks after the collision. He had been with the district attorney’s office in Vista since April, 1985, and was on sick leave the day of the crash--a day after his wife’s miscarriage.
He is being prosecuted by the state attorney general’s office.
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