Illinois State Police Trooper Matt Mitchell may you rot in hell

[ThisSpaceForRent]

Fuck you …you dumb fucking jackbooted ashat of a thug…What gives you the right to breath much less continue “serving and protecting”?
You had already cost the State of Illinois more than 1.7 million dollars (not counting damage to state property) because you cannot drive a damn car…now you have taken two of my towns best and brightest.

Rest in PEACE Jessica Uhl, 18, and Kelli Uhl, 13

There are more than one accounts that this trooper was driving in a reckless and imprudent manor on the way to a MINOR accident that was already being worked by county police. Cite 1

Cite 2

The area this accident was in was VERY congested as it was “Black Friday”, a shopping area, and a holiday weekend.

I certainly hope at LEAST you spend some solid time in our state correctional facilities, but knowing how these things are typically handle i doubt you will…FUCK YOU.

ThisSpaceForRent

[Darth_Nader]

Error:
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What?

[ThisSpaceForRent]

Apologies to all…Apparently the BND (Belleville News Democrat) has some funk-a-fied searching/linking/cookies thing going on.

Here is the link about the dearly departed young ladies…

http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/192986.html

as far as I can tell the other links worked (except cite 2) If I can find it without a search I will post it…but it says pretty much what cite 1 says only from a different witness.

sorry for the confusion :smack: DAMN, and on my first PIT thread ever…

tsfr

[tomndebb]

From your very first link in the OP:

Trent acknowledged Friday that no video from the Nov. 23 crash exists of the vehicle police said cut off Mitchell, who was speeding east on Interstate 64 near the Scott Air Force Base exit to an accident on Illinois 4. Police said the vehicle forced Mitchell to take “evasive action” that sent him across the median into westbound traffic, where his cruiser slammed into a Mazda sedan driven by Jessica Uhl, 18, killing her and her sister Kelli, 13.

The out-of-state witness who told police about the vehicle was driving behind Mitchell at the time of the accident, and described the vehicle as a small, white car with large rear lights, Trent said.

Unless you have a second witness that claims there was no small white car that cut off the trooper and that there is reason to believe the police are inventing the “out-of-state witness,” I would suggest that you might be overreacting just a bit. The other injury accident appears to have been the sort of ACD accident in which many people are involved:

The 2003 crash resulted from Mitchell rear-ending another car at a relatively low speed. No one in the other vehicle required treatment at that time. Later, however, a person inside the other vehicle required medical treatment for aggravation of a pre-existing condition. Mitchell was determined to be at fault in that accident, resulting in a $1.7 million judgment against the state of Illinois.

Now, perhaps Mitchell is a cowboy who should be stripped of his badge and permanently denied a driver’s license for the rest of his natural life, but you have not yet provided evidence to support that contention.

[ThisSpaceForRent]

FTR Belleville is a local community.

From the Belleville News democrat

A Belleville man on Friday said he saw the accident that killed two sisters a week ago and that no one cut off the Illinois State Police trooper who ran into them.

Eric Tinsley, of Belleville, also said he detailed what he saw to a state police investigator the day after the accident. Still, state police have said for a week that an unidentified motorist cut off Trooper Matt Mitchell’s cruiser, sending him across the Interstate 64 median and head-on into the Collinsville sisters’ car.

Tinsley said Mitchell’s cruiser was moving at least 90 mph when Mitchell tried to drive around a car in I-64’s left lane by going onto the highway’s left shoulder.

Another article from the BND, I am sorry but I can not link the article as it was found in a search and searched stories don’t link.

TROOPER DIDN’T HAVE SIREN ON, WITNESS SAYS

State police skeptical of man’s account

By Mike Fitzgerald News-Democrat

DASH: -

Moments before a state trooper crossed the Interstate 64 median and crashed head-on into a car, killing two Collinsville sisters Friday, he was speeding along the shoulder with no siren, a witness said Wednesday.

A state police investigator expressed skepticism at the account, but said she plans to talk to Navy Chief Petty Officer J.W. James.

On Friday, James was eastbound on I-64, heading home to Virginia Beach, Va., after spending Thanksgiving with his parents in Kansas City, Mo. Just west of St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights, he changed lanes to I-64’s center lane, he said.

Suddenly, in his rearview mirror, he spotted an Illinois State Police cruiser bearing down on him.

The cruiser’s emergency lights were flashing, but its siren was not on, James said.

The cruiser was moving “just extremely fast. Too fast,” he said. “He was closing extremely fast on me.”

James said he signaled to enter the right lane to get out of the cruiser’s way. But before he could do so, the cruiser had vanished. A moment later it re-appeared — speeding down the highway’s left shoulder at at least 85 mph, James said.

“I look to see where the cop is and he’s already beside me and in front of me,” James said. “He’s on the shoulder of the highway going around me. Then he was gone.”

A minute later, James crested an uphill section of I-64 near Scott Air Force Base to see that the cruiser had crossed the median and slammed into two vehicles in I-64’s westbound lane.

“There was a smashed-up red truck on the right side, and the cop car was mashed up against another car underneath the bridge,” James said.

James said he didn’t stop because he did not know what good it would do to wait to give a witness statement. After reading about the accident online, he contacted the News-Democrat.

The car under the bridge was a Mazda Sedan driven by Jessica Uhl, 18, who died upon impact along with her sister, Kelli, 13. Both girls lived in Collinsville with their mother.

The teens died from massive chest and head injuries after their car was struck by the cruiser driven by State Police Trooper Matt Mitchell, 29.

Mitchell was racing to an earlier accident on I-64 when another motorist cut him off, forcing him to cut across the highway’s grassy median into the westbound lane, according to state police.

Mitchell, a trooper for about six years, was taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, in St. Louis. As of Monday he was listed in good condition. The family has requested that the hospital release no further information, a hospital spokesman said.

Two other people involved in the accident also were injured, according to the state police. One motorist suffered a broken wrist; the other, a broken leg or legs. The state police would not release their identities.

State Police investigators and several crash reconstructionists are analyzing video and interviewing witnesses to determine the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.

Police have so far declined to release a description of the car they say cut off Mitchell’s cruiser and forced him into the highway median.

Sgt. Stacey Horton, an internal affairs investigator leading the probe of the deadly wreck, expressed skepticism about James’ version of events.

“Our investigation doesn’t indicate that, but I’m really not at liberty to make a statement,” said Horton, who added she planned to speak with James.

Horton referred a reporter’s questions to state police Master Sgt. Brian Ley, in Springfield. Ley did not return calls seeking comment.

Jessica Uhl graduated in May from Collinsville High School and attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a freshman.

Kelli Uhl attended eighth grade at Collinsville Middle School, where she was a member of the cheerleading team.

A funeral Mass for both teens was held Wednesday morning at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Collinsville, with burial following at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Collinsville.

Contact reporter Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@bnd.com or 239-2533.

Yes,Navy Chief Petty Officer J.W. James is from out of town…but he is a CPO in the Navy!

I know that particular roadway very well and it is always very busy, on that particular day I can only speculate that it was experiencing a much higher volume than typical . I also know that it is SOP for Illinois state Troopers to run with lights but no SIREN…

AND…from above article…

Sgt. Stacey Horton, an internal affairs investigator leading the probe of the deadly wreck, expressed skepticism about James’ version of events.

FUCK YOU TOO Sergeant Stacey…your job is not to speculate to the fucking PRESS, it is to collect and report the facts to your superiors…I express skepticism that you know how to do your damn job and keep your ASS from showing…

I assure you much more will be reviled in the near future…not through police work but through diligence of our local press and local outrage.

Tom, please know I do not think this was intentional or anything but an accident but I get sick of cops, ANY cops, protecting each other and trying to circumvent the laws of the people. I do believe that most police would lie and cheat to protect another…

Rest in Peace Jessie and Kellie…

tsfr

[ThisSpaceForRent]

Here is a third witness…

http://www.bnd.com/homepage/story/191373.html

Now Trooper Matt Mitchell might have been traveling in excess of 100mph…

[tomndebb]

So we have consistent accounts of speed, (from 85 to 100 m.p.h. with the police indicating around 90).

We have consistent accounts of the officer using the shoulder, which, being part of an intersate highway in the Midwest, means that he was on a paved lane nearly as wide as a traffic lane–a lane where no other traffic should be.

We have consistent reports that he was using his emergency lights.

We also have the irrelevant, but not denied, claim that he was not using his siren. (Cars have gotten sufficiently soundproofed that a radio or CD at even moderate volume will mask the sound of a siren more than a couple of lengths back when moving at highway speeds, particularly in cold weather when windows are closed.)

We have conflicting witness accounts, but the guy who claims no one cut off the trooper does say that the trooper was passing a car in the left lane. That car could have pulled into the left lane while the witness failed to notice it–or he could be entirely accurate.

I’m not sure what bearing Chief James’s military rank has to do with anything. By his account, he was on the blind side of a rise in elevation and did not see what happened.
If the officer was being reckless, of course, he should face the appropriate punishment.

@ThisSpaceForRent

. . . but I get sick of cops, ANY cops, protecting each other and trying to circumvent the laws of the people. I do believe that most police would lie and cheat to protect another…

So your anger is based on a presumption of guilt?

If the officer was reckless, I hope he faces the appropriate penalties.

[ThisSpaceForRent]

Tom…I have no beef w/ you (or deb for that matter).

What I have a beef with is abuse of implied power. Trooper Matt Mitchell was, and please read this correctly, IMHO, abusing his power, both physical and legal: This abuse caused the death of two young ladies. He had a clear history of vehicular malfeasance. He should NOT have been behind the wheel in the capacity which he was operating.

This area is in the middle of major reconstruction and the shoulders at this time are less than paved, more like chip and oil at this point.

Trooper Mitchell has received MUCH more training on vehicular operation than the average operator of a motor vehicle. The Illinois State Police were very aware that he had already, in 6 years, been involved in two incidents totaling more that 1.7 million dollars in damages to the State Of Illinois, of which I financially support…

The investigator, Sgt. Stacey Horton, should NEVER have made the comments that were released to the press.

The whole incident smells like a cover up to me but, hey…your mileage may vary…WTF do i know. I just live here…

tsfr

[fluiddruid]

The most important matter is not the matter of another car cutting him off or not, it’s the matter of why he was running hot (with his lights on) and driving on the shoulder to a trip that simply didn’t require it. Police officers are trained that any time you turn on your lights, you can kill someone in incidents just like this one. Why did this officer decide to take the risk? Was there information given by the dispatcher that made the officer believe that his presence was urgently needed? If not, then he is at best partially responsible for those teenagers’ deaths, because he was using lights (siren or no) without cause. Going into the shoulder at speeds exceeding 90mph is dangerous, to himself and other motorists, lights or no!

Heck, I was only a dispatcher for a couple of months and that was still a huge part of our training. Going to a minor accident does NOT count, particularly if other officers are on scene so it is unlikely he believed he was a first responder.

[tomndebb]

So it would seem that the first point of inquiry should be the dispatcher tapes (or transcription) to discover whether he knew the accident on Route 4 was minor and whether he had been informed that the sheriff’s deputy was already on site.

[Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical]

Tom do you have some sort of stake in this? No matter how you spin this, a cop killed two people needlessly.

[kidchameleon]

@tomndebb

So it would seem that the first point of inquiry should be the dispatcher tapes (or transcription) to discover whether he knew the accident on Route 4 was minor and whether he had been informed that the sheriff’s deputy was already on site.

I dunno, I think we should tar and feather the officer and* then * start the investigation. Its the RO way.

[Bricker]

@Don't fight the hypothetical

Tom do you have some sort of stake in this? No matter how you spin this, a cop killed two people needlessly.

That’s not a remotely fair statement.

Was the cop acting recklessly? If he was not, then the deaths, while obviously tragic and perhaps “unncessary,” by strict definition, were simply an accident, in the same way that being struck by lightning produces an “unncessary” death, but one in which no one is to blame.

If the cop was acting recklessly, then he should be held accountable.

The only problem is that his recklessness hasn’t been convincingly established. He was speeding to an accident scene. Other officers were already at the scene – but did he know that? One witness says a car cut him off and caused the fatal crash – another witness says he saw no car. Which is correct?
ThisSpaceForRent has concluded the officer is at fault, which seems premature to me without knowing what information the dispatcher relayed and which witness version of the accident is correct. If ThisSpaceForRent has some reason to credit one witness story over another, this would be a good time to share it.

[smiling_bandit]

@Bricker

That’s not a remotely fair statement.

Was the cop acting recklessly? If he was not, then the deaths, while obviously tragic and perhaps “unncessary,” by strict definition, were simply an accident, in the same way that being struck by lightning produces an “unncessary” death, but one in which no one is to blame.

If the cop was acting recklessly, then he should be held accountable.

Well, his speediong was way out of libne. Accident scenes are never emergencies unless someone is seriously hurt. And even then it’s primarily an ambulance thing.

[saoirse]

@smiling bandit

Well, his [speeding] was way out of [line]. Accident scenes are never emergencies unless someone is seriously hurt. And even then it’s primarily an ambulance thing.

Exactly. If you control lightning, then lightning strikes are someone’s responsibility. Emergency or not, if he can’t control his car at 85, or 90, or 100 mph, then he can’t drive that fast. Period. He has had plenty of training (and probably some retraining), so he should know what his car can do.

Suppose it was crucial that he arrive at the accident as soon as possible. He never showed up at all. When I was a very young man, I once objected to a speeding ticket on the grounds that I was legitimately in a hurry. The officer reminded me that it would have taken less time for me to obey the law and drive safely, and that even the most minor accident would have delayed me a whole lot more.

[Bricker]

@smiling bandit

Well, his speediong was way out of libne. Accident scenes are never emergencies unless someone is seriously hurt. And even then it’s primarily an ambulance thing.

What do his department’s guidelines say about responding to accidents?
Was he in compliance with them?

[Bricker]

@saoirse

Exactly. If you control lightning, then lightning strikes are someone’s responsibility. Emergency or not, if he can’t control his car at 85, or 90, or 100 mph, then he can’t drive that fast. Period. He has had plenty of training (and probably some retraining), so he should know what his car can do.

Suppose it was crucial that he arrive at the accident as soon as possible. He never showed up at all. When I was a very young man, I once objected to a speeding ticket on the grounds that I was legitimately in a hurry. The officer reminded me that it would have taken less time for me to obey the law and drive safely, and that even the most minor accident would have delayed me a whole lot more.

I trust a moment’s thought will make clear to you the gaping holes in your logic.

[smiling_bandit]

@Bricker

What do his department’s guidelines say about responding to accidents?
Was he in compliance with them?

While I don’t have access to that, and officers are allowed to speed when necessary, they are never required. And in this situation ther was no reason to do so. Having witnessed many accidents, officers NEVER came speeding up to the scene. It was neither safe nor necessary. And if speeding had been necessary, he was still going too fast. The upper speed limit on Illinois Interstates is 65 anywhere, and you NEVER drive even that speed on the shoulder no matter who you are.

Driving 85 on the shoulder, lights off, is sheer madness even you’re Evel Knievel.

Here, the speeding was extremely dangerous regardless of any other flaws in his driving. But I’ve never heard of any police department who would require you to get to a non-life-and-death wreck that fast. And again, even if the cop got there, he can’t do much without the paramedics.

[ThisSpaceForRent]

Bricker…

ThisSpaceForRent has concluded the officer is at fault, which seems premature to me without knowing what information the dispatcher relayed and which witness version of the accident is correct. If ThisSpaceForRent has some reason to credit one witness story over another, this would be a good time to share it.

Given the Officers track history, the traffic volume, and the FACT that he was traveling WELL above the speed limit, yes I do have an OPINION of where I believe fault lies.

I have some well placed emails concerning the 911 transcripts and am awaiting replies.

What you all may not be able to see (or read) is that the ISP (Illnois State Police) first said a car cut off the Officer in question and it would be recorded on his dash camera…then as witnesses came forward they said maybe there was no “cut off car”…then they said "Oh, that patrol car has no Dash Camera…then we find out the officer involved had two previous accidents. hmmmm

The incident the officer was responding to was reported as follows , per the Belleville New Democrat.

The crash occurred a little after noon Nov. 23. Mitchell was responding to an accident that occurred at 11:37 a.m. on Illinois 4 and was handled by the St. Clair County sheriff’s department. Two people involved in that crash were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The only witnesses that have been NAMED are witnesses that support my theory that the officer was driving in a careless and imprudent manor. Does that make sense? why name them and not the others?

I think it is human nature to ASSUME is you see a HOT emergency vehicle that it is running Code 3 when in fact at times they are lights only.

As I have stated this area is/was undergoing major reconstruction and the officer most likely was familiar with said renovations/traffic patterns and such.

Yes, in this matter I have some very strong opinions. That is why I posted this in the Pit as opposed to say MPSIMS…

People get punished daily for accidents, all I want is to see justice and an honest thorough investigation w/o smoke and mirrors…

RIP Jessica and Kelli,

tsfr

[Skywatcher]

@ThisSpaceForRent

the ISP (Illnois State Police) first said a car cut off the Officer in question and it would be recorded on his dash camera…then as witnesses came forward they said maybe there was no “cut off car”…then they said "Oh, that patrol car has no Dash Camera…then we find out the officer involved had two previous accidents. hmmmm

KMOX
Investigators are studying the patrol car video and other data in an attempt to locate the driver who forced the trooper’s car off the road.

hmmmm indeed.