County DA says Peak has not been charged yet

A media representative for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office on Friday said that contrary to prior reports, charges have not been filed against Malibu City Councilman Skylar Peak relating to Christmas Day hit-and-run and vandalism allegations.

Sandy Gibbons, a public information officer for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, said no decision had been made in the Peak case. 

“We have not filed anything yet. Nothing has been filed with the court. That’s all I can tell you. You can check back next week,” Gibbons said. 

The statement contradicts a spokeswoman at the district attorney’s office in the Malibu Courthouse, who told The Malibu Times on Wednesday that Peak faced charges of misdemeanor hit-and-run, reckless driving and vandalism. The Malibu DA’s office refused to comment on Friday, and is now referring all questions back to the county DA’s media office. 

Peak’s attorney, Michael Schwimer, said Friday he himself was unsure what the status of the charges were. 

“I don’t know the answer. I called [the Malibu DA] this morning, and it wasn’t clear. It started out like they were saying they had [charged him], but then they were saying they hadn’t. I don’t know how else to put it,” Schwimer said. 

Gibbons said Peak faces a “due-back date” of March 27, which is the date he must appear in court for the incident. 

“If the case is filed prior to that, sometimes lawyers will advance that date or take him into court when they want to, or if it’s a misdemeanor he doesn’t even have to appear, his lawyer can do that for him,” Gibbons said. 

When asked whether Peak’s position as a sitting city council member in Malibu might be affecting the county District Attorney’s approach in prosecuting the case, Schwimer demurred.

“I’m sure they’re treating this matter as any other matter,” Schwimer said. “They have many high-profile situations that come up in this district attorney’s office, so this is not a rare occurrence…I can’t say they’re giving this more or less attention than is required of this situation.”

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