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A28 u.s. news
Diabierna 11 Juni 2021
Truck driver gets 16 years in crash that killed 5 bicyclists

mian Sheets, said Barson did spoke the names of the five behind bars for the rest of
not intend to cause harm. bicyclists and cited the ef- his life if he was convicted.
fect of their deaths had on Prosecutors said blood tests
“Knowing I caused the deaths “mothers, fathers, siblings, showed he had nine times
of five people and severely spouses, children, nieces, the amount of methamphet-
hurt two others is unbear- nephews and grandchildren.” amine in his system that
able most of the time,” Bar- would indicate impairment.
son told the court. “I want “Their lives are forever af-
you to know that I’m so truly fected because of your Barson, a commercial truck
sorry for what I’ve done. poor choice,” she said. driver, wept after the Dec.
I know you will carry this 10 crash on U.S. 95 between
pain forever, and it breaks Killed were Las Vegas resi- Boulder City and Searchlight.
my heart that I caused this.” dents Erin Michelle Ray, 39, He told investigators he fell
Gerrard Suarez Nieva, 41, asleep at the wheel while
Clark County District Michael Todd Murray, 57, driving his regular work route
Court Judge Bita Yeager on Aksoy Ahmet, 48, and Thom- between Las Vegas, the Colo-
Wednesday acknowledged as Chamberlin Trauger, 57. rado River town of Bullhead
(AP) — An Arizona box amine causing death. Barson’s remorse but stuck Bicyclists Jose Vasquez City, Arizona, and Kingman.
truck driver who plowed Jordan Alexander Barson, 45, with the sentence agreed and Jerome Ducrocq
into bicyclists on a stretch of Kingman, Arizona, apolo- upon when he pleaded were seriously injured. The flat-faced truck plowed
of Nevada highway last gized Tuesday, during the first guilty in April to two counts into bicyclists trailing a
December, killing five day of an emotional two-day of driving under the influ- The judge also ordered Bar- Subaru Outback support ve-
and injuring four, was sentencing hearing in Las Ve- ence resulting in death. son to pay nearly $60,000 hicle shielding them from
sentenced Wednesday to gas, asking forgiveness as he in restitution to victims. headwind as a group of about
a minimum of 16 years spoke by video from the Clark “You had no business driv- 20 cyclists made an annual
in Nevada state prison County Detention Center, ing,” Yeager told him. Barson’s plea deal avoided 130-mile ride from Las Ve-
for driving under the in- the Las Vegas Review-Journal trial on 14 felony charges gas through scenic desert
fluence of methamphet- reported. His attorney, Da- The judge paused, near tears, that could have kept him in Nevada and California.

Woman: Missouri lawmaker told her to deny allegations

(AP) — A former Missouri Perkins — who has said the I was on duty,” Perkins former detective also claimed he first brought the claims to
police officer campaign- relationship was consen- said. “But even if I did, that that Pike County Sheriff Ste- Korte in September 2019 af-
ing for a state House seat sual but denied they had sex wouldn’t have been a crime phen Korte discouraged an ter he anonymously received
last year repeatedly told a when he was on duty or she committed. So why would I investigation because of Per- printed copies of messages
woman to deny that they was drunk — told the AP on lie about any of that?” kins’ political ambitions. between Perkins and the
had sex years ago while Thursday that he never sug- woman.
she was drunk and he was gested Orf deny anything Orf said the two had sex Perkins officially opened a
on duty, the woman says. and “never put any pressure again after that but she was campaign committee to run The woman in a May 2015
on her to say anything that also drunk then. as a Republican for state message confronted Perkins
Emily Orf, 26, spoke to The wasn’t true.” representative in November about him sharing details
Associated Press about her The AP typically does not 2019. Voters elected him in about their relationship with
interactions with now-Rep. Orf recalled falling asleep in name victims of potential November 2020. another person, writing: “I’m
Chad Perkins, after the al- her car at a park sometime sexual misconduct, but Orf sure you left out the part
legations became public last around April 2015, when she gave permission to identify “We can’t prove any of this, where u were on duty and I
month. Orf said the allega- was 20 years old, and waking her. Orf has hired St. Louis Chad needs to win this, it’s was drunk.”
tions are true. She told the up to Perkins knocking on her attorney Al Watkins to handle important and the girl is
AP that she had not spoken car window. She told AP she questions. loose,” the detective claimed Orf verified those messages
to Perkins for years until he had gotten into an argument Orf said she previously knew Korte said during a Septem- to the AP.
called her last year and sug- with her then-boyfriend and of Perkins through the fed- ber 2019 conversation, ac-
gested that she deny what had had been drinking. erally funded Drug Abuse cording to a police report. Korte told the AP he flagged
happened to a police chief Resistance Education, or the claims to the Bowling
who was investigating. Orf said Perkins talked to her D.A.R.E., program. He was Korte has denied saying that Green police chief and spoke
about the fight and drove her her officer. and has dismissed the claims with both Perkins and the
She said Perkins, a 42-year- around in his police car for against Perkins as “sour woman.
old Republican, has been what seemed like a long time Perkins’ law enforcement grapes” brought forward by
apologetic but told her that before he had sex with her in license is inactive, which law enforcement officials “At some point I might have
if she wanted to avoid getting the backseat. She said she was means he hasn’t been work- with political vendettas. talked to her, I can’t remem-
her name “dragged through still drunk and remembers ing as a police officer recently ber when,” Korte previously
the mud,” she could either only bits and pieces. and can’t return to the job Perkins made the same ar- told the AP. “I didn’t docu-
tell Frankford police Chief immediately. gument Thursday and said ment it because she said, ‘No
Joshua Baker they never had “He probably should’ve just Baker and the detective are yeah, we hooked up,’ I think
sex or tell him they had sex taken me home to my parents The allegations became pub- unreliable based on their past was her exact words.”
but not while she was drunk if he knew where they lived, lic after Baker, the Frankford behavior during a local elec-
and not while Perkins was on or just let me sleep there so police chief, in April for- tion dispute involving Bak- Orf said she never spoke to
duty as a Bowling Green po- I could fight off my drunk,” warded information about it er’s wife. Korte.
lice officer. Orf said. to law enforcement agencies
in a position to investigate “Emily and I are both the Bowling Green police Chief
She said he’s called her Asked by the AP Thursday potential criminal wrongdo- victims of a couple of cops Don Nacke said Korte never
roughly eight times in the whether he ever had sex with ing and to state House lead- that hate me so much they’re contacted him about Perkins
past year to say the same her while she was drunk and ership, who forwarded it to willing to humiliate a young and that he wasn’t aware of
thing and provided AP with he was on duty, Perkins said: the House Ethics Commit- woman who didn’t want to the claims against him until
screenshots of phone records “No, absolutely not.” He said tee. The Highway Patrol now have anything to do with recent media reports. Nacke
showing some of the calls he took her home that night is conducting a preliminary this,” Perkins said. said there are no records
and texts from his phone in 2015. inquiry. of any disciplinary action
number. The former Pike County de- against Perkins when he was
“We did not have sex while In police reports, Baker and a tective in a police report said an officer.