Ex-Temple Terrace police officer expected to enter plea in crash that killed 6-year-old girl
Arraignment for ex-officer charged in deadly crash
Former Temple Terrace police officer Zachary Krug is scheduled to appear in Hillsborough County court Monday morning for his arraignment on charges stemming from a deadly crash that killed a 6-year-old girl last April. FOX 13's Kellie Cowan reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Former Temple Terrace police officer Zachary Krug is scheduled to appear in Hillsborough County court Monday morning for his arraignment on charges stemming from a deadly crash that killed a 6-year-old girl last April.
Hillsborough County arraignment
What we know:
Krug has been out on bond since May and is expected to enter a formal plea to the charges against him.
The hearing comes months after prosecutors released evidence they say shows Krug accelerated to 104 mph in his unmarked police vehicle shortly before the crash on East Fowler Avenue, where the speed limit is 50 mph.
Temple Terrace police officer crash
The backstory:
According to prosecutors, Krug was driving to work without his emergency lights or siren activated when he crashed into a vehicle carrying a mother and her three young daughters.
Six-year-old Layla was killed. Her sisters, who were 1 and 8 years old, were hospitalized with injuries.
Prosecutors say Krug was running late for work and was not responding to an emergency or pursuing a suspect at the time of the crash.
During a bond hearing in May, prosecutors played dash camera video they say shows Krug accelerating from a complete stop to 104 mph in about 30 seconds before the collision.
Legal defense arguments
The other side:
Krug's defense disputes the state's account, arguing he was on duty and trying to catch up to a speeding driver.
"A vehicle was in front, took off, left a patch of smoke, ran a light, he began to follow. Then he stopped, then he had to give chase as a result of the catch-up provisions, and then the tragedy struck," defense attorney Ralph Fernandez told reporters in May.
Officer firing
What they're saying:
State Attorney Suzy Lopez has rejected that explanation, saying investigators found no evidence Krug was actively pursuing another vehicle.
"I am absolutely sickened by what happened on that afternoon. This was just a regular old Wednesday afternoon when this officer decided that what he needed to do was more important than what anybody else on the road was doing. He endangered lives and he killed a six-year-old girl by the choices that he made," Lopez said. "No one is above the law, this now former officer was charged with protecting the public and keeping people safe, and he did the exact opposite of that."
Courtesy: Jamie Jackson
Prosecutors also argue Krug never notified dispatch that he was pursuing a speeding vehicle and only activated his emergency lights to proceed through a red light. They further contend that even if he had been pursuing another driver, traveling more than twice the speed limit on East Fowler Avenue would have violated department policy.
Krug was fired by the Temple Terrace Police Department shortly after the crash.
Pretrial process
What's next:
If Krug enters a not guilty plea during Monday’s arraignment, the case is expected to move forward through the pretrial process toward a future trial date.
The Source: This story was written using information from Hillsborough County court records, interviews with State Attorney Suzy Lopez and defense attorney Ralph Fernandez, previous court proceedings attended by FOX 13 News, and statements made by the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office during those hearings.