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Demovictory9

(32,411 posts) Wed May 18, 2022, 05:54 PM May 2022

another pedestrian death accident handled in a shady way. Identity driver kept secret for 2 months

Placer CEO name kept secret until AFTER it was determined he wasn't at fault.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Official-says-he-hit-teen-17176703.php

After weeks of speculation, a Northern California county official confirmed that he was the driver of the vehicle that killed an 18-year-old high school student in March.

Todd Leopold, Placer County’s county executive officer, confessed in a news release May 13 that he was responsible for the car crash that killed 18-year-old Anthony Williams on March 19.

KCRA reported that the crash took place in Rocklin on Lonetree Boulevard and Adams Drive, adjacent to the Blue Oaks Town Center mall. Williams, a student and basketball player at Inderkum High, was walking on the road when he was struck by Leopold. Police said at the time that the driver was cooperating with the investigation, the news station said.

"My words and emotions cannot adequately express my profound grief and sadness," Leopold said in a press release. "I am heartbroken for the loss of this young man and extend my sincere condolences to Mr. Williams’ family, friends, and all of those impacted by this tragic accident."

But in the weeks after Williams’ death, KXTV reports, his family and friends — as well as an activist group — have been critical of the police’s investigation, frustrated in particular about the nearly 2-month duration of their investigation and their failure to identify Leopold after the incident.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Official-says-he-hit-teen-17176703.php

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article261543332.html

Placer County CEO who killed teen has history of speeding, was once arrested on DUI charge

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article261543332.html#storylink=cpy

Six years before his vehicle struck and killed Inderkum High School student Anthony Williams, Placer County CEO Todd Leopold spent a night in a Colorado jail after he was arrested for speeding through a ski town while impaired by alcohol, police and court records show. Leopold’s June 2015 drunken driving charge was ultimately dropped as part of a guilty plea for the speeding infraction for going 35 in a 25 mph zone.

The Colorado speeding ticket was among at least four that Leopold — Placer County’s top non-elected official — has received over the years, according to records The Sacramento Bee reviewed through a series of public records requests. Rocklin police have said the driver who killed Williams was not at fault.

Still, Leopold’s driving history is likely to renew outrage among those demanding answers about what happened March 19 when Leopold’s vehicle killed the 18-year-old high school senior.

In the two months since the crash, Rocklin police have released only sparse details. They’ve never disclosed what make and model of vehicle was involved, whether impairment or distraction were a factor or how fast Leopold was traveling — all relatively basic details investigators often release after fatal wrecks.

Rocklin police Capt. Scott Horrillo declined to comment Tuesday. An autopsy report The Bee obtained Tuesday shows that Williams was walking “within the lane of traffic” when he was hit. He had a small amount of THC, the intoxicant one ingests when using marijuana, in his system. The report does not elaborate on what preceded the crash.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article261543332.html#storylink=cpy