BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Benton Township Officer Eugene Anderson will be charged after hitting and killing a woman with his patrol vehicle in September, the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
According to a release, Anderson, 52, is facing a misdemeanor charge of moving violation causing death and could face up to a year behind bars.
Anderson did not have his vehicle’s sirens activated at the time of the crash and was travelling 65 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Kimberly Anna Bedford, 48, of Hartford, was crossing the road at 9 p.m. Sept. 20 in the 1200 block of Pipestone Road to get to a nearby store when she was hit, officials said. Officials claim Bedford had a high blood alcohol content and was crossing the road where there was no crosswalk.
Anderson was responding to a domestic disturbance call at the time of the crash, according to a release.
“The law exempts the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from speed limitations if the driver is answering an emergency call and a siren and emergency lights are activated,” a press release from the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office says. “Absent the siren and emergency lights, the driver of an emergency vehicle is then bound by the speed laws as any motorist would be.”
Anderson is expected to turn himself in to face formal charges, according to the prosecutor’s office.
