53-year-old John Ashcraft
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The driver in the deadly crash on Fresno’s Friant Road between a tow truck and a sedan was in court on Thursday.
53-year-old John Ashcraft is facing charges relating to the incident on April 12, which claimed the life of 22-year-old Fresno woman Amaya Chenot.
According to court records, Ashcraft’s charges are gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of drugs while causing injury, failing to stop at a red light, and driving without a valid license.
Ashcraft entered a plea of not guilty to all charges during Thursday’s arraignment inside Fresno County Superior Court. His next hearing is scheduled for January.
Footage of the crash was captured on a camera set up on Friant Road by a Fresno man interested in knowing what was causing the crashes along that stretch of roadway.
The incident took place on April 12, according to the Fresno Police Department, and officials say Ashcraft was booked into jail on November 29 with a bail set at $125,000.
WARNING: This video provided by Friant Roulette below is graphic and shows the deadly crash taking place.
According to the Fresno Police Department and the criminal complaint, on April 12, John Ashcraft was driving a tow truck at Friant Road and Shepherd Avenue. He went through a red light and collided with a car, causing the death of 22-year-old Amaya Chenot of Fresno.
After the crash happened, no criminal charges were immediately filed against Ashcraft, prompting the family of the victim to file a civil complaint. The complaint alleged the driver of the tow truck, who was employed by a company called 1st Class Tow, had taken a controlled substance within 24 hours before the crash that killed Chenot. An aggravating factor listed on the charging documents filed in October does state that “the level of methamphetamine in the system of John Herbert Ashcraft was especially high and in the potentially toxic range.”
Credit: Source link
