Brakes-hitter in crash gets year in jail

Driver pleads guilty in I-40 ramp stop that resulted in motorcyclist’s death

File photo
File photo

VAN BUREN -- A Pettigrew man has been sentenced to a year in the Crawford County jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count in which his braking on an Interstate 40 ramp caused the death of a close-following motorcyclist last year.

Lawrence Finn, 32, was to go on trial Tuesday in Crawford County Circuit Court on a charge of second-degree murder and two counts of tampering with physical evidence. Instead, he pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge of negligent homicide, a Class A misdemeanor. The tampering charges were dismissed, deputy prosecutor Robert Presley II said.

Presley said Tina Miller, the widow of the motorcyclist, Jason Miller, 41, of Alma, asked that Finn be allowed to plead to the lesser charge because she wanted the 17-month-old case to end so she could get on with her life. Circuit Judge Mike Medlock questioned Tina Miller about her intentions before allowing Finn's plea, Presley said.

Finn also was ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution, according to court records. Presley said the restitution was to compensate the family for Jason Miller's medical and funeral expenses.

Finn was charged in the May 24, 2017, fatality that occurred between Miller's 2007 Yamaha motorcycle and Finn's 1998 Dodge Ram pickup on the ramp from Interstate 540 to I-40 eastbound at mile marker 7.

A probable cause affidavit said Finn told an Arkansas State Police trooper that he saw the motorcycle tailgating as he was merging onto the interstate. He said he tapped the brakes to get the motorcycle to back off, but the motorcycle hit his rear bumper and crashed.

From witness statements, the trooper concluded that Finn slammed on his brakes, the motorcycle ran into the back bumper and Miller was dragged behind Finn's pickup before sliding into the median.

Presley said that when he interviewed the two witnesses in preparation for the trial, they said it did not appear that Finn slammed on his brakes before the accident. Presley also said the defense had an accident reconstruction expert who planned to testify that Miller's death was an accident.

The tampering charges resulted from corrupted video from cameras on Finn's pickup, which prompted Presley to accuse Finn of attempting to destroy video of the incident.

NW News on 10/24/2018

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