DA: No criminal charges for trooper in fatal crash

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A prosecutor says no criminal charges are warranted against a state trooper whose patrol car ran a stop sign and killed a woman in another vehicle.

The Erie Times-News reports that Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri says Trooper Frederick Schimp was “negligent” but not criminally so in the July 5 crash that killed 57-year-old Donna Platz, of Edinboro.

Investigators say Schimp was driving a 2013 Ford Explorer about 3:30 a.m. when he ran a stop sign, causing Platz’s vehicle to collide with his.

Daneri says a camera inside the vehicle doesn’t show any evidence that Schimp was driving erratically or was distracted, though it remains unclear why the trooper ran the stop sign. Tests showed he wasn’t under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Schimp will be cited for careless driving and running a stop sign.