CLEARFIELD, Pa. — A retired state trooper is facing multiple charges for last night’s three vehicle crash on State Route 879 between Clearfield and Curwensville that killed two people.
State police charged Thomas Edward Reed, 55, Lanse with felony counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence (two counts), aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence (three counts), murder of the third degree (two counts), homicide by vehicle (two counts), and aggravated assault by vehicle (three counts), as well as misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter (two counts) and driving under the influence and eight summary offenses.
District Judge Jerry Nevling arraigned Reed this morning. Reed’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 29. The judge denied him bail due to the seriousness of the crimes.
The charges stem from a crash on State Route 879 around 10 p.m. on July 23, that closed the road for hours.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police arrived at the scene on the Clearfield Curwensville Highway at 10:13 p.m. A white pick-up truck pulling a boat had struck a mini van. The driver of a motorcycle, Frederick Cline, could not avoid the initial crash and was also killed.
The original crash killed an occupant of the mini-van, Judith Jordan and medical personnel flew a passenger, Ethan Jordan to the hospital with serious injuries
Police identified the driver of the truck as Reed, a retired trooper.
As Reed was receiving medical attention in the back of an ambulance, a trooper asked him what happened.
Reed stated that he was coming from a fishing tournament at Curwensville Lake when the accident occurred. He said all he could remember was the airbag in his truck going off. He said he wasn’t sure if someone traveled into his lane. He refused transport to the hospital and said he was going to have his wife take him to the hospital.
Police determined that it was Reed’s vehicle that crossed the center line and collided with the mini-van due to the large pool of vehicle fluids and debris in the west-bound lane of travel.
A trooper saw an alcoholic beverage in plain sight on the driver’s front floorboard in Reed’s vehicle, leading him to believe Reed may have been driving under the influence. This trooper then traveled to the hospital to speak with Reed, who was not there. Other officers went to Reed’s residence where they found him. Because there was probable cause to believe Reed was driving under the influence of alcohol, they took him into custody and transported him to Penn Highlands Clearfield to obtain a blood sample.
Police then transported Reed to the state police barracks in Clearfield and interviewed. He allegedly said prior to leaving the fishing tournament at Curwensville
Lake, he drank one or two alcoholic beverages. He also admitted to drinking vodka but was not sure how much he had consumed, according to the report.
