DA: Former Placer County Executive Todd Leopold not charged after hitting, killing Inderkum basketball player

By Greta Serrin

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    PLACER COUNTY, California (KCRA) — Former Placer County Executive Todd Leopold will not face criminal charges for hitting and killing Inderkum High School basketball player Anthony Williams, the county district attorney’s office said in a report.

The decision to not charge Leopold comes after an extensive review of the deadly crash that occurred in Rocklin in March, the office said on Tuesday. It said there was “insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred.”

“This office had multiple experienced prosecutors independently evaluate the evidence in order to arrive at the best and most informed decision possible,” the office said. “The goal of this review was to impartially weigh the evidence obtained in this investigation to determine whether the facts supported the filing of criminal charges.”

The crash happened on March 19 on Lonetree Boulevard and Adams Drive. The Natomas Unified School District identified 18-year-old Williams as a student and basketball player at the school. The Rocklin Police Department said Williams was walking on the road when he was hit and killed that night.

Police had previously said that Leopold was not at fault for the crash and that he would not be charged. The case was then referred to the Placer County’s District Attorney’s Office for review after California’s Attorney General’s Office found there would be no conflict of interest with Leopold being a county executive officer for the county.

The DA’s office said they reviewed written reports, recorded interviews, body camera footage and then in August, received additional reports.

The report agreed with the Rocklin Police Department’s investigation that “Mr. Williams caused this fatal collision by violating California Vehicle Code 21956(a), which states that no pedestrian may walk upon a roadway outside of a business or residence district otherwise than close to the left-hand edge of the roadway.”

Multiple witness statements and Leopold’s statement align, the report found, saying a man was walking in the number one lane of traffic, causing some cars to swerve to avoid hitting the pedestrian.

Leopold said in his driver statement that as he passed through the intersection, “he noticed the car in front of him move to the right into the number two lane. At that moment, Mr. Leopold saw the backside of a pedestrian who was wearing dark clothing and standing directly in the middle of the number one lane.”

In the driver’s statement, Leopold said he had no time to brake or swerve to avoid the pedestrian.

Police reported Leopold had no signs or symptoms of intoxication or impairment. Through forensic examinations, the report also found that Leopold was not using his cellphone at the time of the crash.

The DA’s office report said the office considered all possible criminal charges, however “each possible criminal offense would require sufficient proof of a criminal intent ranging from malice aforethought to criminal negligence.”

The DA’s office said there was no evidence of any of that at the time of the crash.

The report also took into consideration Leopold’s previous speeding violations but said the past incidents were not relevant because it was not found that Leopold was speeding at the time of the crash.

“This decision is subject to reexamination should material evidence change or be revealed through any additional investigation,” the DA’s office said.

In May, Leopold came forward as the driver who hit and killed Williams after community advocates accused Rocklin police of not being transparent during the investigation. At the same time, he was placed on paid leave in late May.

In June, Leopold was fired. However, officials told KCRA 3 that his firing didn’t have anything to do with the crash and instead was following a harassment complaint. The Placer County Board of Supervisors said they received the complaint on May 25.

Leopold has denied the allegations, according to the board.

A month later in July, Williams’ brother Isaac Tidwell filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Leopold. KCRA 3 has reached out to Tidwell’s attorney for comment on the recent development.

We have also reached out to Leopold’s attorney for comment. We have yet to hear back from either party.

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