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Drunk off-duty trooper leaned over to kiss his girlfriend while speeding down the Expressway, causing a crash that killed a motorcyclist, DA says

A man just one week out of the State Police Academy topped off a night of drinking in Boston by spinning out his SUV on the Expressway in an attempt to kiss his girlfriend early this morning, leading to a motorcyclist slamming into his stuck vehicle and dying, the Suffolk County District Attorney charges.

Kristopher Carr, 25, of Monson, was charged with OUI motor-vehicle homicide and negligent operation for the crash that killed Christopher Zike, 51, early this morning on the southbound side of the highway in Dorchester.

Monson was immediately discharged from State Police and had his license suspended, the DA's office reports, adding he was released on $5,000 bail and ordered to undergo random drug screens while his case is pending.

According to the DA's office, State Police detectives learned that Carr had consumed six or seven alcoholic beverages at three different bars in Boston before he got behind the wheel and headed south on I-93:

While operating a 2020 Ford Explorer in the far left travel lane of Interstate 93 South shortly before 1:25 a.m. today, Mr. Carr leaned over and attempted to kiss his acquaintance, at which time the vehicle swerved into the median barrier. The SUV sustained damage to the front driver’s side and its airbags deployed as a result of the crash. It came to a stop perpendicular to the median, prosecutors said.

While the SUV was stopped on the roadway, a motorcycle operated by Mr. Zike struck the vehicle. Mr. Zike was thrown from the motorcycle, suffering injuries that resulted in his death at Boston Medical Center.

Carr and his girlfriend were taken to Mass. General for minor injures, the DA's office says.

There, Mr. Carr declined to answer questions without an attorney. Detectives interacting with him noted that he had glassy eyes and spoke with a thick tongue. He was informed that he was under arrest and transported to the Massachusetts State Police South Boston Barracks for booking upon his release from the hospital.

In a statement, DA Rachael Rollins noted she spoke at the State Police Academy graduation at which Carr was one of 168 newly minted troopers last week.

This individual had the privilege and the opportunity to serve as a Trooper with honor and to help improve the safety and wellbeing of the people of Massachusetts. Instead, he violated the laws he had sworn to uphold. Christopher Zike’s family and loved ones are now left to grieve his tragic death,” District Attorney Rollins said. “Members of law enforcement are, necessarily, held to a higher standard of conduct, and for good reason. Whether an officer of the law has served the community for decades or worn a badge for only a week, they are always expected to uphold the integrity of their agency and our criminal legal system. When a sworn officer violates the law, it erodes the community’s trust in our criminal legal system. This entire situation is tragic. One man lost his life and another one has altered his trajectory forever. We spend so much time talking about substance use disorders. People need to remember that alcohol is a substance. It just has been normalized. But alcohol destroys and takes lives just like opioids and other narcotics.

Carr is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 12.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

The trooper, Kristopher Carr, 25, of Monson

Could be any of the many homicidal maniacs driving on our roads.

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This is the way.

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In the world would this even be remotely considered to be under the umbrella of qualified immunity? And a Union that doesn’t fight for its members, I’ll hold my breath!

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Qualified immunity only applies during the performance of one's government job, and this guy was off duty.

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LiveBoston617 has no comment on Twitter or their website. Apparently they don’t find crime newsworthy when a cop is the accused criminal.

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24 hours later still nothing.

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Folks, I hate to break it to you but most of these "live" reporting of crimes are all pro cop and often, most are conservative based.

Breaking911
NewsBreak
LiveBoston617
**scanner (any of these scanner accounts)

I blocked Breaking911 and NewsBreakApp on twitter when they started sharing racist and Q-like articles. And I am leery of any of these types of accounts now.. they all have a axe to grind or want to push nonsense.

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He was only a few weeks in, and probably not qualified for all the protections that come once you've become a made trooper. Maybe not even eligible to join SPAM yet.

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In the exchange that followed, Mr. Goods and the trooper, Christopher Baldner, began to argue, and Mr. Goods, his lawyer said, asked to speak to a supervisor. Trooper Baldner responded by shooting pepper spray into the car, officials said.

Fearing for his safety, his lawyer said, Mr. Goods drove off. Trooper Baldner chased him at a high speed. When he caught up to Mr. Goods, he rammed his car once and then, seconds later, rammed it again.

The impact knocked Mr. Goods’s car over a guardrail into the highway’s southbound lanes, his lawyer said. The vehicle flipped over several times before landing on its roof. Tossed from the car as it tumbled, Monica Goods died.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/nyregion/monica-goods-christopher-bal...

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Wish I hadn’t read this NYT piece. Earlier this week I went down the same depressed spiral when I read about a cop who shot an unarmed motorist in VA 10 times, his conviction was overturned.

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The exit interview: "Let's see... One day... Ah, here it is! Congratulations - you made it all the way to 0.01% vested in the pension plan!"

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With more details from the DA's office.

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leading to a motorcyclist slamming into his stuck vehicle

So much for the "see and avoid" rule of the road.

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Not a “rule of the road”.

But nice way to blame the victim, anonymous cop.

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If the novice state trooper and his girl friend had time to get out of the car before the fatal collision, shouldn't the motorcyclist have had time to stop? I would think it takes a bit of time to get out of a car under those circumstances.

No excuse for the intoxication (etc.) that caused the car to become a deadly obstruction...

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If the car suddenly swerved into the motorcyclist's path, well... there's only so much they can do. But that does seem like a good few seconds of notice.

However, I see now that the crash occurred at night time. If the car's lights were off, and the motorcyclist didn't actually observe the crash, it might have been hard for them to see the stopped car in time.

Or, it could be as simple as the motorcyclist being distracted by something else, including chaos *elsewhere* on the road caused by the car spinning out.

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The report said that the vehicle "came to a stop perpendicular to the median", meaning that even if the vehicle's lights were on, they could not be seen by overtaking traffic. Furthermore, there isn't any indication that the SUV crash happened within view of the motorcyclist. As you say, the drunk cop and his date had time to get out. Ever experience the kind of accident that leads to an airbag detonation? People typically don't spring out of the vehicle following that kind of impact; they move slowly and carefully, particularly if drunk or injured, both of which appear to have been the case here. Based on what information is given here, I'm thinking this was not the case of the SUV wrecking and the bike plowing into it. It was a case of the SUV wrecking and being left in a location and position where no one would expect it, not highly visible, in the middle of the night, and then some time later the bike came along and hit it. You can't put any of this on the motorcyclist.

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You drive drunk, create a condition on the roadway that is hazardous because of your drunken driving, and then someone dies because of the hazards you've created, well, you killed them.

Even if you aren't drunk, operating a vehicle in such a reckless manner to cause such described still makes you the killer in the eyes of the law.

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90/Sect...

Could the motorcyclist have avoided the accident if X, Y and Z? Possibly! But the hazard only existed because of the (alleged) reckless behavior of another driver, and one who would have absolutely known better (I mean, I assume our state's de facto highway patrol teaches these sorts of laws at their academy, so that should have been fairly fresh information for a recent graduate...)

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We should take away the decedent's license for the failure to avoid their fatal crash.

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Monson was immediately discharged from State Police...

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They should be, but rarely are, unless the incident is too blatant to be swept under the rug.

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Deadly kiss.

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Just that kiss!

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