Jeffrey Racer, an off-duty West Virginia cop who struck and killed a 13-year-old girl with his police cruiser, will face no charges, prosecutors announced Friday. Special Prosecutor for Cabell County Mark Sorsaia said that it was the girl's fault, as she had alcohol and marijuana in her system, and it doesn't matter if he was speeding.
the "tragic loss" of 13-year-old Jacqueline "Laney" Hudson in December 2022 was a "direct result" of her own erratic behavior while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, according to a letter dated Thursday clearing former Cabell County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffrey Racer of negligence. That "severely affected her judgement and ability to make rational decisions, and subsequently led to her running in front of the car," wrote Sorsaia, who is also prosecutor in Putnam County
The available evidence does make it appear the girl was fooling around in the street. It's a shame the available evidence resulted from an intensive blame-seeking investigation into the victim matched by excuses for the officer's own choices. We're told it's impossible to know precisely how fast Racer was going because his cruiser's "black box" failed to record it as the airbag did not deploy. Sorsaia said even if he was speeding it doesn't matter because that's just how fast people drive on that road.
… Even if the survey doesn't eliminate the possibility that Racer was speeding, it indicated his speed was "well within the average speed limits used by individuals using that particular location on the roadway," Sorsaia concluded.Estimates by state police reconstruction teams analyzing skid marks and other factors placed Racer's speed between 47 and 55 miles per hour — at least 10 to 20 miles per hour over the speed limit.
