Jefferson City police officer cleared in September accident involving child
The Missouri State Highway Patrol has finished its investigation into a September accident involving a Jefferson City police officer and a small child, who was struck by the officer’s vehicle on East McCarty. Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Scott White tells ABC 17 News the patrol does not anticipate submitting any recommendation of charges to the Cole County prosecutor’s office.
The accident happened on Sept. 23 near East McCarty and Chestnut Street. The child was airlifted that day to University Hospital in Columbia for treatment.
ABC 17 News submitted an accident open records request to the Missouri State Highway Patrol in October, and has received and reviewed the four-page report.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s report says the crash occurred as the pedestrian, a 1-year-old, entered East McCarty from behind a parked vehicle on the south side of the road. The patrol’s report says the child ran into the path of the driver, a 31-year-old Jefferson City Police Department officer. The patrol report says the driver attempted to avoid the child by steering the vehicle to the left “but was unable to avoid the pedestrian.”
The report quotes a witness as telling the Missouri State Highway Patrol she was on her front porch in the 800 block of East McCarty, when the accident occurred. The witness told State Troopers that she observed what she thought was a dog run into the roadway. The witness said she observed the driver swerve and then stop.
The accident happened at 11:02 a.m. The patrol’s report notes weather that morning was clear, and the road was dry. The report also notes the road alignment is straight at that location, and the road profile is uphill.
The Highway Patrol’s report says the JCPD vehicle’s in-car camera was downloaded after the crash, but that no video events of the crash were recorded.
Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson tells ABC 17 news that no prosecution reports have been submitted to him, at this time. Richardson says that would be normal, “given the situation reported in the news media.”
White confirmed to ABC 17 News on Monday that the patrol does not anticipate submitting any recommendation of charges to Richardson’s office.
