LAS VEGAS (AP) - Federal safety monitors have barred an Arizona truck driver accused of striking and killing five bicyclists in southern Nevada from operating commercial motor vehicles and deemed him a hazard to public safety.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Jordan Alexander Barson, 45, remains in Clark County Detention Center awaiting his initial court appearance, which has been postponed while he quarantines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Authorities say Barson, of Kingman, Arizona, crashed his box truck into a group of recreational cyclists completing a loop through the desert on U.S. 95 between Boulder City and Searchlight, Nevada, on Dec. 10.
He told investigators he fell asleep at the wheel. Blood tests showed he had methamphetamine in his system, prosecutors say.
Barson is facing 14 felony charges, including reckless driving and driving under the influence resulting in death or substantial bodily harm. Court records indicate he has not yet been assigned at attorney.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration agency told the Review-Journal that neither Barsfromon nor his Lake Havasu City-based employer RoadRunner Transport AZ Inc. maintained drivers’ records-of-duty status as required by federal regulations.
The agency’s imminent hazard order states that Barson’s “blatant violations of the federal safety regulations and ongoing and repeated disregard for the safety of the motoring public … substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and (the) motoring public.’”
Roadrunner Transport AZ Inc. did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting comment.
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