THOUSAND OAKS : Manslaughter Charge in Jet Ski Death

A Thousand Oaks man was charged with manslaughter Wednesday, almost a year after the collision of two jet skis on Castaic Lake that took one life, authorities said.

Steven Croswhite, 36, was scheduled for arraignment today at Newhall Municipal Court.

Croswhite allegedly crashed into Louie Ellis, 51, of Glendora, killing him, as they rode jet skis, called Sea Doos, on Sept. 4, 1994.

Ellis’ body was found floating in the upper part of Castaic Lake at about 10:15 a.m., about half an hour after the accident, police said.

“On the date of the crash, [Croswhite] disappeared,” said Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Olfig. “But people saw him in the area.”

A composite drawing of the suspect based on descriptions of witnesses who saw him fleeing the scene led homicide detectives from the Sheriff’s Department to Croswhite.

Croswhite’s Sea Doo also matched eyewitness descriptions, Olfig said.

Bail was originally set at $1 million, Olfig said, but was reduced to $15,000 on Wednesday.

Croswhite faces up to a year in prison for the vehicular manslaughter charge.