LMPD Detective’s ‘false’ testimony led to dismissal of most serious charges in hit-and-run case
Vinnie Jacoway died after being hit by a car in downtown Louisville in 2023. The man accused of being behind the wheel is no longer charged with manslaughter.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Nearly three years after a deadly hit-and-run, a Louisville judge dismissed several charges without prejudice against the man accused at the request of prosecutors.
Angelo Collier is accused of hitting Vinnie Jacoway at a high rate of speed at 3rd and Jefferson Streets on January 15, 2023. Jacoway died at the hospital, and Collier was arrested three months later.
A now 22-year-old Collier had two manslaughter charges dismissed during a November 25 hearing, along with three other charges.
The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office filed the motion to dismiss.
“I think both parties agreed that the likely outcome would be a dismissal without prejudice if the court was asked to rule on it,” Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Jackson Rice said during the hearing. “So it will be the commonwealth’s motion to dismiss counts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10 without prejudice.”
Judge Annie O’Connell granted the request.
Issues arose from testimony by LMPD Detective Clarence Beauford, who was at the Nov. 25 hearing.
“The grand jury was told that Mr. Collier had run a red light and struck a pedestrian,” Collier’s Defense Attorney, Mike Goodwin, said. “In fact, the evidence from the interview was the other way around.”
Collier’s defense filed a separate motion to have the entire case thrown out on September 29, outlining that evidence.
It states that Det. Beauford incorrectly told the Grand Jury that Jacoway had the right of way.
“At the Grand Jury hearing, Detective Beauford stated, ‘[A]ccording to a witness that was there at the scene, the light was red for westbound traffic on Jefferson Street,’” the motion reads. “In fact, the witness had said just the opposite – that the light was green for westbound traffic."
The motion also claims the detective doubled down on his incorrect statements. It reads:
Following up on Detective Beauford’s statement, a male grand juror asked the detective, “So just to clarify, the light for him [the driver] was red? The pedestrian had the right-of-way?’ In response, Detective Beauford says, “The pedestrian definitely had the right-of-way. The witness stated that, and also it was some surveillance video footage from the Convention Center that also showed that as well. But the witness said, yeah, the pedestrian was in the crosswalk with the green light.”
“And the grand jury asked that question. So it’s material, it’s to the point,” Defense Attorney Mike Goodwin said. “So it’s not just, ‘We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with the same old thing.’ We’ll have to see what a grand jury would do with that.”
Defense Attorney Rob Eggert also wrote that Det. Beauford’s statements were “flagrantly wrong and highly prejudicial.”
In total, two counts of manslaughter, one count of receiving stolen property, one count of leaving the scene of an accident, and one count of tampering with physical evidence were dismissed.
“I do plan to have that re-indicted and represented to the grand jury,” Rice said.
Collier’s next court date is scheduled for January 22nd.
He is still facing two counts of wanton endangerment, one count of criminal mischief, and two counts of fleeing police.
The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office could not comment on the dismissal since the case is still open.
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