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Prosecutor: No charges in December pileup that killed 3

Posted at 8:12 AM, Aug 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-22 08:12:51-04

FOWLERVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A prosecutor says no charges will be filed in a 53-vehicle December pileup on snow-covered Interstate 96 in Michigan that left three people dead.

Livingston County Prosecutor William Vailliencourt announced the update Monday. He says there’s “insufficient evidence to establish culpable conduct” by drivers involved. He says the rapid onset of winter weather was a factor.

Investigators in January said a driver traveling too fast for conditions caused the pileup and they anticipated seeking a charge of reckless driving or moving violation causing death. The sheriff’s department said in April, however, it wasn’t requesting charges.

The Dec. 8 pileup about 55 miles (88 kilometers) west of Detroit killed 69-year-old Homer Leon Tew of Ann Arbor; his wife, 62-year-old Theresa O’Connor Tew; and 28-year-old semitrailer driver Vitalii Stelmakh of Hollywood, Florida.