SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A man has been found guilty of taking a painkiller in 2020 and then driving his truck into a home, pinning a 10-year-old under the truck and causing serious injuries.
A jury found Charles Merrill Lavadie, 63, guilty of one count of negligently operating a vehicle resulting serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony. He was also charged with one count of class B demeanor reckless driving, and the jury found him not guilty of that charge.
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On July 3, 2020, South Salt Lake Police responded to a vehicle crashed into a home near 3300 South and 300 East. On arrival, police found Lavadie’s truck “completely inside” the residence, according to court documents. The driver, Lavadie, was still in the driver’s seat of the truck.
Lavadie turned the truck back on, and the detective told him to turn it off. A witness grabbed the keys out of the truck, and the detective heard crying from underneath the vehicle. A 10-year-old child had been run over and was pinned underneath…