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No charges filed after 5 months in January accident
By AINSLEE S. WITTIG/Arizona Range News
After nearly five months, County Attorney Chris Roll has not filed charges in an accident that killed a 47-year-old Willcox woman and two of her grandchildren.
Sixteen-year-old Kellen Patterson apparently ran a stop sign at Hamilton and Old Stewart roads on Friday, Jan. 9. The Chevy pickup truck he was driving slammed into 47-year-old Geraldine Coffman's Geo Metro, killing her and two of her grandchildren, Christopher and Joseph Kingman, ages 1 and 4.
Roll could not be reached for comment last week, but previously said "it is not abnormal for a case to take this long. We don't take our decision-making process lightly - we don't rush to snap decisions - it takes time and consideration."
"Usually before a case is pursued for negligent homicide, there has to be voluntary intoxication (on the part of the defendant). From what I understand, there was not voluntary intoxication," Roll said in February.
Carol Capas, sheriff's department spokeswoman, said impairment did not appear to be a factor, but Patterson was traveling at about 55 mph in a 35 mph zone when he missed the stop sign.
She said that Coffman and the four-year-old were wearing seat belts in the vehicle; and the one-year-old was belted into a child restraint, but the child restraint was not seat-belted to the vehicle.
Vince Festa, deputy county attorney, is currently reviewing the case, said a County Attorney's Office staff member. She said that "waiting for additional information from the sheriff's department" was written on the case folder, and that no decision had been made on possible charges.
Capas also said earlier this month that all information had been given to the County Attorney's Office.
Sixteen-year-old Kellen Patterson apparently ran a stop sign at Hamilton and Old Stewart roads on Friday, Jan. 9. The Chevy pickup truck he was driving slammed into 47-year-old Geraldine Coffman's Geo Metro, killing her and two of her grandchildren, Christopher and Joseph Kingman, ages 1 and 4.
Roll could not be reached for comment last week, but previously said "it is not abnormal for a case to take this long. We don't take our decision-making process lightly - we don't rush to snap decisions - it takes time and consideration."
"Usually before a case is pursued for negligent homicide, there has to be voluntary intoxication (on the part of the defendant). From what I understand, there was not voluntary intoxication," Roll said in February.
Carol Capas, sheriff's department spokeswoman, said impairment did not appear to be a factor, but Patterson was traveling at about 55 mph in a 35 mph zone when he missed the stop sign.
She said that Coffman and the four-year-old were wearing seat belts in the vehicle; and the one-year-old was belted into a child restraint, but the child restraint was not seat-belted to the vehicle.
Vince Festa, deputy county attorney, is currently reviewing the case, said a County Attorney's Office staff member. She said that "waiting for additional information from the sheriff's department" was written on the case folder, and that no decision had been made on possible charges.
Capas also said earlier this month that all information had been given to the County Attorney's Office.
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