Monday, October 19, 2015

IMPD Officer Cleared In Fatal Crash

An IMPD officer who struck and killed a pedestrian on a busy Southport Road last month will not face criminal charges. Officer Bernardo Zavalza's police cruiser struck 53-year old Ronny Bowling in a dimly-lit intersection on the night of September 24 while Bowling was walking in the middle of the street. WTHR shared this statement from Marion Co. Prosecutor Terry Curry on today's decision:
The death of Mr. Bolwing is a tragedy, and we extend our condolences to his family and loved ones. As with any fatal crash, our office has made a thorough review of all evidence related to the incident and determined that the actions of Officer Bernardo Zavalza do not rise to the level of criminal charges as prescribed by state statutes," Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said in a statement. 
IMPD Chief Rick Hite is still recommending Zavalza's termination as an officer because the officer violated the department's zero tolerance policy against operating a police vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. A blood/alcohol test administered two hours and 45 minutes after the crash showed an alcohol level of .029, well below the legal limit of 0.08. Officer Zavalza was off-duty at the time of the crash.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gary, is that a typo? .29 is more than 3 times the .08 limit. If not, this guy was hammered. How was he not jailed for this?

Anonymous said...

Never mind. I found in the WTHR article that it was .029.

Gary R. Welsh said...

It is. The decimal point was in the wrong place. Thanks for the correction.

Anonymous said...

It took 2 hrs & 45 minutes to get him tested? That slowness alone caused his
true BAC to dissipate.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:53, there is NO SCIENCE you can introduce to show that a person were even close to the legal limit given the results of this scientific test. Shut up.

It looks like he'll lose his career because a drunk in dark clothing stepped into his path. I don't understand trying to fire him for this. He wasn't drunk. He was at the level they said is allowed. No questions there.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:17 there are just those that HATE authority...and anything good or bad that goes with it. These are the same people that have a pessimistic attitude in life and hate it when others experience joy. As you pointed out, Anon 4:53 is not well-versed in the pathology of ethyl alcohol as well. To Anon 4:53's joy, another person "in authority" will be terminated.

Anonymous said...

6:17 AM and 1:32 PM - somebody died
and you missed that point.

The cop was involved in a death even assuming that the circumstances were purely negligent. What would you tell the victim's family?

Anonymous said...

You may want to consider investigating who the driver of the boat was from this story over the summer. http://www.wthr.com/story/29182516/search-underway-after-possible-drowning-at-morse-reservoir. Hint: The driver of the boat is the daughter of the police officer that was cleared in the crash. She was drunk and on drugs at the time of the incident. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:38 p.m.: I suggest telling them that "A person who is intoxicated & wearing dark clothes playing in the middle of a major street near an Interstate highway late at night will probably get hit by a vehicle & killed. Life is tough, it's tougher if you're stupid!

Sorry, but an intoxicated pedestrian wearing dark clothes that even had 911 called for their stupid & reckless behavior who gets hit....well, they made a personal bad choice.

Anonymous said...

What news media story said that Ronny Bowling was intoxicated at the time of the incident? Were you a part of the coroner's staff and present at Bowling's autopsy or
are you just fabricating allegations of intoxication of the decedent to attempt to make the police officer look better?

From the one news media story that I read, Bowling's family and former friends thought that Bowling had mental health issues - schizophrenia and was not always compliant with taking his medications.