BLIND INMATE KILLED ON HWY. 1 RELEASED BY MISTAKE

He Was Struck By Several Vehicles While Walking In Southbound Lanes

The man struck and killed Friday night on Highway 1 was legally blind and
had just been released from County Jail by mistake.

Scott W. Bennett, 37, was walking down the middle of the two southbound
lanes with his back to traffic when he was hit by a Volkswagen van at about
6:20 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Two other cars
struck him before his body was moved to the shoulder of the highway, about
2 1/2 miles from the jail.

Bennett had been in custody on a probation violation stemming from a
battery charge last year involving his ex-wife, court records show. A judge
had ordered him held at least until a hearing this Wednesday.

Sheriff Pat Hedges said a jail clerk mistakenly released Bennett at 5:09
p.m. Friday after a probation hold was lifted. The clerk didn't realize
that the judge's order was still in place, Hedges said.

Bennett, a native of Brockton, Mass.,, had no money at the time of his
release. He made it half way to town before he was struck along the dark
highway between the California Men's Colony and Cal Poly.

CHP spokesman Marlon Varin said Monday that officers may never know why
Bennett was walking along the line separating the two southbound lanes.

Bennett's friends suggested that his night vision was so poor that he may
have thought he was walking on the shoulder.

"He should not have been out at night like that," said Eric Lehr, who knew
Bennett for about six months.

"He couldn't see, as far as I could tell," said Steve Edney.

Both men were interviewed Monday at the Prado Day Center, where Bennett
occasionally came for meals since becoming homeless about a month ago.

Bennett was a graduate of Bridgewater State college and had worked in the
past as a massage therapist. He had lived in San Luis Obispo county since
at least 1992. Efforts to reach members of his family were unsuccessful
Monday.

Friends said that he managed to get around town despite his disability and
that he like to spend time in Mission Plaza. He could read, they said, if
he held the paper close to his face. Occasionally, he would hurt himself by
walking into tree limbs or street signs.

Sheriff Hedges said jailers were aware of his vision problem, but did not
consider it serious enough to warrant special treatment upon his release.

Prisoners are generally on their own when they are let out of jail, he
said. Most call family or friends for a ride. Others take the bus or call a
cab. Many walk to town. "It's not unusual to see folks out there trying to
hitch a ride."

In some cases - when a person uses a wheelchair to get around, for instance
- - a ride home or to a shelter if offered. "We're not so cold-hearted as to
wheel them out the door and point to the highway," Hedges said. "We try to
accommodate those who have some kind of disability."

Santa Barbara County has a similar policy, said Santa Barbara County
Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Turner. "It's probably the same all over."

Bennett was able to function in jail and had made it home safely after past
arrests, Hedges said. He didn't appear to need special treatment. "I just
see it as a very unfortunate tragedy, but I don't see it as something that
could have been anticipated or predicted."

Bennett had had a few minor scrapes with the law during the early 1990s and
then again last year. In 1993, he pleaded no contest to one of six bad
check charges. The other five were dismissed. Last year, he was charged
with marijuana possession in addition to the battery charge.

His recent trip to jail resulted from two alleged probation violations -
possession of illegal drugs and failure to pay restitution, court records
indicate.

Acquaintances at the Day Center described Bennett as a nice guy. He
received a monthly disability check from Social Security, they said, so
they didn't worry about his financial situation.

Doug, who didn't give his last name, said he had known Bennett for two
years. He said his friend encouraged his efforts to play the flute. He said
Bennett had been down over the past couple of months because of the
problems he was having reaching closure in some of his personal relationships.

While he believes that Bennett was capable of finding his way to town along
the shoulder of Highway 1, Doug thinks it's unlikely that Bennett
intentionally walked into the traffic lanes.

"It's hard for me to see it even with all the despair," he said.

Sheriff Hedges said there were no indications from the jail staff that
Bennett was suicidal.

Even before Bennett's death, Hedges said his staff was trying to find money
to provide rides home for prisoners who would otherwise have to walk.
They're still working on it, he said.