Thursday, March 1, 2012

** Utah man pleads guilty in driving death of Salt Lake City paramedic

** Ohio EMT facing arraignment on charges he stole meds from co-worker

UNITED STATES NEWS

** A Utah man has pleaded guilty in the 2011 driving death of a Salt Lake City paramedic. That is the word from the Salt Lake Tribune (Aaron Falk/February 28) which said Gabriel Perez-Gutierrez, 27, pleaded guilty to automobile homicide and driving under the influence Tuesday. According to the newspaper, a drunk Perez-Gutierrez, who had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 at the time, hit West Jordan EMT Jonathan Bowers, 31, around 6 a.m. on May 22. The accident forced Bowers’ vehicle into another before it became airborne. Though the medic survived the initial impact, he died a week later in hospital. Apparently a slam dunk for a conviction, Perez-Gutierrez could circumvent jail time based on a plea deal with prosecutors. If he successfully appeals the appropriateness of an electronic warrant to obtain his blood, Perez-Gutierrez can withdraw his guilty pleas. Sentencing has been set for April 27, with a potential 16 year prison term possible upon conviction.

** An arraignment has been set for March 5 for an Ohio EMT charged with stealing Aderall from a coworker. WMFD (March 29) said Stephen Zadd, 34, has been tagged with felony theft of drugs x 1. According to the news station, Zadd, who was also a firefighter in Ashland, allegedly pilfered the meds between October 1 and December 18th of last year. Released from jail Tuesday, Zadd resigned from his job February 2.