Arraignment Postponed For Man Charged With Fire Captain's Death

MISION VIEJO, CA —The Mission Viejo resident charged with second-degree murder and DUI in the death of off-duty Costa Mesa fire captain, Mike Kreza, appeared in court Wednesday with a new attorney but he failed to enter a plea.

Arraignment for Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 25, was rescheduled for Jan. 18 in the courtroom at the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana. His bail remains set at $2 million.

Scarpa's new attorney, Rudy Loewenstein, declined comment.

Scarpa is charged in the Nov. 5 death of 44-year-old Capt. Mike Kreza. The married father of three daughters was training for a triathlon, riding his bicycle when he was fatally injured.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Dan Feldman has not commented on why prosecutors elected to pursue a murder charge, which could result in a sentence of up to 15 years to life in prison if Scarpa is convicted. A gross vehicular manslaughter conviction does not carry a life sentence. A deadly collision involving a defendant without a prior DUI conviction typically would bring a gross vehicular manslaughter charge.

Scarpa was behind the wheel of a van that was eastbound on Alicia Parkway near Via Burgos when it struck the 18-year veteran fire captain about 8 a.m. on Nov. 3, according to Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Kreza died at a hospital two days later.

Sheriff's investigators found several prescription medications in the van, Braun said.

Federal prosecutors allege that Scarpa received prescriptions from Dr. Dzung Ahn Pham, who is now facing charges of illegally distributing opioids.

City News Service, Patch editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report

Shutterstock Photo