New Details In Deadly Elmore County Crash
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New information has been released about a wreck that killed an Elmore County deputy and three teens last November.
A grand jury just finished its investigation, so officials can now talk about what happened that night.
It’s an investigation that hopes to put the rumor mill to rest.
Officials and the family of Deputy Bart Hart say there’s been lots of speculation about what happened on that November night.
New information shows the car with four teens was going 98 miles per hour down Firetower Road when it swerved into the opposite lane, hitting Hart head on.
“It was not Bart’s fault. there’s been a lot of hearsay, miscommunication about what actually happened and it was not his fault,” said Charlotte Hart, the deputy’s widow.
Since the driver of the car was killed, DA Randall Houston says no charges will be filed.
Hart’s widow and officials have known what happened, but waited for the grand jury to release all the facts.
“The reason the grand jury is there to review that case is because we had issued orders to do autopsies on four people and the traffic homicide division had done a report. So that case needs to be cleared by a grand jury,” said Houston.
Houston wants some good to come out of this whole ordeal. He says the driver was breaking the state’s graduated driver license law. Under the law, he was only supposed to have one other passenger and couldn’t be behind the wheel after midnight.
“Perhaps this could have been avoided if the graduated driver’s license law were being enforced if it had some teeth. It’s not enforced because it doesn’t have any teeth, and if parents knew about it. It just amazes me. I don’t think anybody on the elmore county grand jury knew anything about the graduated drivers license or those requirements,” said Houston.
Houston is working with State Representative Mike Holmes to increase the penalties for teens breaking the license laws.
Holmes says it’s a great idea and he could have a bill as soon as this week.
The graduated license law has been in effect since 2010.
After a year with a learner’s permit, a 17 year old has to drive with a restricted license for at least 6 months before being able to get a regular license.
