BATON ROUGE - A police officer who caused a crash that killed a small child and left several others injured is no longer facing charges nor any fines.
The East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office confirmed Wednesday the negligent homicide and speeding charges filed against BRPD officer Christopher Manuel in the violent 2017 crash had been dropped. Investigators said Manuel was driving his personal vehicle, a Chevrolet Corvette, at a speed of 94 mph when he slammed into an SUV. That's nearly double the posted speed limit of 50 mph on that stretch of road. The crash killed a 1-year-old who was riding in the other vehicle.
Charges were also dropped for Brittany Stephens, the driver of the other vehicle, who was arrested for negligent homicide more than four months after the crash once it was determined the child's car seat was not properly secured. The SUV was allegedly overloaded at the time, reportedly carrying four adults and three children.
Manuel was released on a bond following his arrest in 2017 and has been on paid administrative leave ever since the crash. Stephens has also been released from jail at this time.
Ah the privileges of being a cop in the states. You can drive over the speed limit when not on duty and kill somebody and get a 2 year paid vacation.