NOT CHARGED/REDUCED | VEHICULAR HOMICIDE HIT and RUN NOT CHARGED/REDUCED to MISDEMEANOR – State v. Mr. M. (DMC No. 7441) (Tempe Police Department DR06-072066/Tempe City Court 06-916379): Mr. M. was a passenger in a vehicle which ran a red light, and struck and killed a Tempe City Police Officer. After the accident, both the driver and Mr. M. got out of the vehicle and fled. Mr. M. came back to the scene brief time after and was questioned by police. In this high profile case, the driver was charged with a Vehicular Homicide, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office was deciding whether to charge Mr. M. with Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Accident. We were able to convince them that they could not meet the required elements to prove a crime, and Mr. M. couldn’t return any quicker to assist in the investigation. Ultimately, the County Attorney’s Office agreed to route the case to the Tempe City Attorney’s Office for a simple charge of Minor in Consumption of Alcohol. Mr. M. was originally facing years in prison.
