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The Salt Lake Tribune
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper who ran a red light last month and hit another car - injuring a woman and her two children - has pleaded no contest to a red-light violation and paid a $112 fine in Tooele’s justice court.
Although the criminal matter is resolved, Jeremy Floyd’s conduct is still under investigation by the Utah Department of Public Safety. DPS spokesman Derek Jensen said Tuesday a review of whether Floyd followed departmental policies could be concluded sometime this week.
Prior to the March 23 crash at an intersection north of Tooele, Floyd had activated his overhead lights but not his siren, according to a Sheriff’s Office investigation.
Floyd was responding to a call of a reckless driver and driving northbound on State Road 36 when he ran a red light at the intersection with Bates Road and crashed into a car driven by Tina Murray, causing it to roll several times.
Murray, 24, was seriously injured. Her children, ages 2 and 6, suffered minor injuries.
Floyd’s car slid into a power pole, which crushed the driver’s door. It took emergency workers 30 minutes to extricate him. Floyd, 27, is back to work, but on light duty as he is still recovering from his injuries, Jensen said.
Floyd was charged with failing to stop for a red light, a class C misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine. He was scheduled to be arraigned on the charges this week, but appeared before Tooele Valley Justice Court Judge William Pitt on April 20 to enter his plea.