Flagstaff tow truck driver sentenced for fatal crash -

Normand Cloutier ran a red light in 2021 and crashed into a group of cyclists, killing Joanna Wheaton and injuring several others.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The man who pleaded guilty to negligent homicide after crashing into a group of cyclists in Flagstaff, killing a woman, was sentenced to prison Tuesday.

Investigators said Normand Cloutier, who was a tow truck driver, ran a red light on May 28, 2021, and crashed into the group of cyclists, who were legally crossing an intersection at Beaver Street and Butler Avenue in Flagstaff.

29-year-old Joanna Wheaton was killed and three others were sent to the hospital, including Flagstaff icon Dapper Dre, who lost his leg in the crash.

Cloutier was sentenced to six years in prison for the crash and 17 years for sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators found pictures of child sexual abuse on his phone during the bike crash investigation.

His sentences will be served concurrently.

RELATED: ‘I got the second chance’: Deadly Flagstaff bike crash survivor speaks out after losing his leg

Cloutier took a plea deal in late 2023. He pleaded guilty to five charges in the two separate cases, including negligent homicide in the bike crash case and sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators said they found pictures of child abuse material on his phone during the crash investigation.

The prosecutor told the court at sentencing that investigators found hundreds of illegal photos on Cloutier’s phone but he ultimately wasn’t charged for all of them under the plea deal.

During sentencing, one of Cloutier’s attorneys said the sun was in his eyes during the bike crash. Cloutier, now 63, addressed the court and talked about his long career as a tow truck driver.

“All I’ve ever done my entire life is help people,” Cloutier repeatedly told the court.

He didn’t apologize or address any of the victims directly.

“Do I feel remorse for the accident? Absolutely,” he said. “Is it something I could have prevented? I don’t have an answer for that.”

Wheaton’s loved ones filled the Coconino County Superior Courthouse during the sentencing.

“I’m doing my best to keep going without her,” one of Joanna’s loved ones told the judge. “And in many ways, it’s torture.”

Wheaton’s friends and family members gave statements and wrote letters, including another cyclist who was severely injured in the crash.

“I never needed your help, Normand,” the victim told Cloutier. “I needed you to have stopped at the red light that was red for at least ten seconds.”

Wheaton’s family described Joanna as an activist, who stood up for injustice and helped those around her, including the unsheltered population. They also pointed out that she didn’t support the prison system.

“Prison doesn’t change cultures of vehicular or sexual violence,” one victim told the court, explaining Joanna’s perspective.

And yet, that’s exactly where Cloutier is going. The judge gave him the maximum sentence under Cloutier’s plea agreement.

“Normand, you are going to prison, possibly for the rest of your life,” the crash survivor told the court. “But you are free of having to be truly accountable to any of us. To those of us you have harmed irrevocably.”

The crash and its aftermath still rattles the Flagstaff cycling community.

“If they see people aren’t punished for hitting bicyclists, that sends a really bad signal,” said Susan Hueftle, chair of Flagstaff’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.

Since the crash, the city started a pilot program for improved bike lanes with barriers. Permanent changes are coming in the next few years after the City was awarded a nearly $10 million grant in December.

“If only she was still here, the world would be a better place,” her loved one told the judge.

Cloutier’s 17-year prison sentence started Tuesday. He must register as a sex offender upon release from prison.