(KRON) — A mother and father were charged with child abuse for allowing their teenager to ride an electric motorized bike despite repeated warnings from law enforcement.
The Benicia couple’s son was severely injured when his Surron Light Bee e-moto bike crashed into a minivan on Treat Boulevard in Walnut Creek, prosecutors said. On Thursday, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office announced that criminal charges were filed against the parents, Steven Leroy Crews and Jeanna Marie Gabellini.
Crews, 58, and Gabellini, 58, will make their first court appearance Friday for an arraignment in Martinez.
“Mr. Crews and Ms. Gabellini are alleged to have willfully and unlawfully permitted a child to be injured or placed in a situation where the child’s health is endangered,” the district attorney’s office wrote.
The crash happened on Sept. 18, 2025 just after 3 p.m. “Walnut Creek Police investigated the collision, and through witness statements and other evidence, determined the child was unlawfully riding the e-moto on Treat Boulevard in an unsafe manner, and at unsafe speeds, prior to the crash,” the DA’s office wrote.
Crews and Gabellini’s son suffered severe injuries that required emergency care at a local hospital.
Prosecutors said the parents had allowed their son to repeatedly ride the e-moto bike from ages 14-17, and ignored “repeated citations and warnings from law enforcement.” The teenager did not have a license to operate the e-moto bike.
New California laws went into effect on January 1 for incidents involving juveniles riding electric-motorcycles. Parents can be held financially and legally responsible when their children ride e-bikes or e-motorcycles in violation of the new laws.
District Attorney Diana Becton said, “E-bikes and e-motos are more prevalent on city streets. Now that California has new laws on the books to address public safety offenses related to e-bikes and e-motos, parents must understand the dangers these vehicles can pose to children if operated unlawfully and without proper driver education.”