Hit-Run Suspect Has Speeding Record : Crime: Brandon Wattier has been cited five times since 1990. He faces manslaughter charges in 8-year-old’s death.

A Yorba Linda man arrested this week in the hit-and-run death of an 8-year-old boy has a history of speeding and reckless driving, according to court records.

Brandon Matthew Wattier, 20, was arrested Monday on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter following the Saturday night accident on the Costa Mesa Freeway that killed Wesley Straw of Moreno Valley.

Police and a witness said Wattier--who was released from jail Tuesday after posting $25,000 bail--was speeding, weaving in and out of lanes and was using the shoulder as a passing lane when he struck the car in which the boy was riding. The vehicle then overturned into a concrete ditch. No date has been set for an arraignment.

According to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, Wattier has five moving violations and was involved in a car accident on May, 22, 1992.

The Yorba Linda resident was cited four times for speeding between June, 1990, and January, 1992, and paid approximately $600 in fines.

In the most recent violation, Wattier was also cited for unsafe lane changes, the same type of activity that a witness said led to Saturday’s fatal accident, court records show.

Wattier also has prior convictions for sneaking into Disneyland and fighting in public, stemming from his having crashed a fraternity party April 3, 1992, in Anaheim. During the Disneyland incident, which took place in August, he was also found to be carrying drug paraphernalia and fined $675, according to court records.

Wesley’s mother, Judy Straw, and her fiance, Eric Ackel, both said Tuesday that they were shocked to learn about Wattier’s driving record.

“I’m just glad he was caught before he does this again,” Judy Straw said. “Someone like that should know better.”

Pointing to Wattier’s record, Ackel said he deserved the toughest sentence possible.

“It’s just incredible that this whole thing happened,” Ackel said. “I’d like to see this kid go away for a long time. I don’t know if it will happen with our crazy judicial system, but I hope it will.”

Judy Straw, 27, said she spent Tuesday in a daze, going through the painful motions as she picked out a casket for her son, who was a second-grader.

“God’s Little Helper” will be the inscription on the boy’s tombstone. A vigil is scheduled for Thursday evening, followed by a funeral Friday.

“I miss him and I really need him, but I guess God just needed him more,” Straw said. “It’s hard to believe he’s not here anymore.”

Judy Straw said she is grateful for the news stories that helped lead to Wattier’s arrest, as well as for friends, relatives and even kind strangers who have offered support.

“Everyone has been wonderful, trying to make this as easy as it can be, but it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through,” she said, crying softly.

Wesley and his 4-year-old sister, Taylor, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, were on their way to their father’s home in Fountain Valley about 9 p.m. when their car was struck, she said. The Straws are divorced.

Ackel also said he is pained that Wattier has been released on bail and can return home, while the Straw family is devastated.

“It just doesn’t seem fair,” Ackel said.

A woman who answered the door at Wattier’s home in Yorba Linda Tuesday afternoon was weeping and declined to comment.

Greg Cruikshank, 19, a neighbor and close friend of Wattier’s, said the family is “in shock.”

“His family is devastated,” Cruikshank said. “They can’t believe it happened. Everyone, the entire neighborhood, is shocked.”

Tony Bellavia, 19, who lives across the street, said Wattier told him about being in an accident Saturday night.

“I talked to him the next day and he didn’t know he hit anyone,” Bellavia said. “I saw the dent in his car. He said that he was cut off and run off the road. But it seemed like it was no big deal.”

Other neighbors and friends of Wattier said they had also spoken to him on Sunday but that he did not act unusually.

Matt Busscar, a 19-year-old high school friend of Wattier’s, said his friend may have been unaware that people were injured in the accident.

“I don’t think he thought he hurt anybody,” Busscar said. “It would not be like him to do something like that and drive away. He’s always been a buddy and it’s really sad to see him in this position. He’s a good person who would help you out if you needed it.”

Wattier, who was a standout volleyball player for Esperanza High School in Anaheim, is enrolled in classes at Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana and previously attended Fullerton College.

California Highway Patrol Officer Keith Thornhill said law enforcement officials are finishing up their investigation and expect to present the case to the Orange County district attorney’s office as early as today for filing.

Times staff writer Mary Lou Pickel contributed to this story.