A Benicia couple is facing child-abuse charges after prosecutors say they repeatedly let their teenager ride a high-powered electric motorcycle that ultimately slammed into a minivan in Walnut Creek, leaving the young rider seriously hurt and hospitalized.
Contra Costa County prosecutors announced on Thursday that the husband-and-wife duo is each charged with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly allowing their minor to keep operating a Surron Light Bee e-moto despite earlier citations and warnings from law enforcement. The crash happened on Sept. 18, 2025, and the arraignment was scheduled yesterday in Martinez.
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office said in a Contra Costa County release that 58-year-old Steven Leroy Crews and 58-year-old Jeanna Marie Gabellini will be arraigned on one count each of child abuse under Penal Code 273a(a). District Attorney Diana Becton noted that “E-bikes and e-motos are more prevalent on city streets” and urged parents to pay attention to new state rules and rider education requirements. According to the office, the alleged period of endangerment ran from Oct. 19, 2024 through Sept. 18, 2025.
As reported by SFGATE, the crash occurred around 3:05 p.m. at Treat Boulevard and Arkell Road when the Surron Light Bee e-moto collided with a minivan. Walnut Creek police concluded the minor had been riding the vehicle unlawfully and “in an unsafe manner and at unsafe speeds” before the impact. The minivan driver was not injured, while the teen rider was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment.
What prosecutors allege
Prosecutors say Crews and Gabellini let their child ride the e-moto repeatedly from ages 14 to 17, even after law enforcement issued citations and warnings. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office characterizes that pattern as willfully allowing a child to be placed in danger.
The charging documents accuse the couple of having willfully and unlawfully permitted a child to be injured or placed in a situation where the child’s health is endangered, according to the DA’s release. The alleged conduct is charged under Penal Code 273a, which can be treated as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the underlying facts and how the case proceeds.
Local rules and safety
The City of Walnut Creek outlines clear differences between standard pedal-assist e-bikes and more powerful e-mopeds or e-motorcycles that need DMV registration and an M1 or M2 license, and that are barred from many local trails. The city’s guidance also highlights recent 2026 state updates, including a requirement that e-bikes carry a rear reflector or light, and it directs riders to free California Highway Patrol trainings and other safety courses.
Officials and the district attorney’s office emphasize that those seemingly technical distinctions matter in the real world, because off-road-style e-motos like the Surron often exceed the speed thresholds that define ordinary e-bikes and can behave much more like traditional motorcycles in traffic.
A growing enforcement trend
Prosecutors elsewhere in California have started filing similar cases. In March, SFGATE reported that the Orange County District Attorney charged a father after investigators said his 12-year-old child rode a modified electric motorbike capable of reaching roughly 60 miles per hour.
That kind of case reflects a broader concern among local officials that high-powered, street-capable electric motorcycles are spreading faster than parental supervision, formal training and many cities’ existing ordinances can keep up.
What’s next
Crews and Gabellini’s first court appearance in Martinez was set yesterday. Future hearings will determine whether the case heads to trial or ends in a plea deal.
