it runs in the family: B*sh cousin kills man in traffic accident

[npincus]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/03/16/bush_cousin_is_cleared_in_officers_death/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

HARTFORD -- A federal appeals court judge who is a cousin of President Bush has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing in an accident that killed a New Haven police officer in October.

John M. Walker Jr., a senior judge on the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, was driving a sport utility vehicle that struck Officer Dan Picagli while he was directing traffic at a construction site.

New Haven State's Attorney Michael Dearington released a report yesterday saying that there was no evidence of negligence by Walker.

"All witness accounts and information gathered by police through their investigation confirms that there is no evidence of erratic or impaired driving by Mr. Walker," Dearington wrote.

[MnFats]

1. Surprise, surprise surprise...'no criminal wrongdoing....'

not knowing the whole matter I shouldn't comment but....is anybody amazed by this?

[billybob537]

2. So there's nothing erratic

about running over a police officer?

[SoCalDem]

3. Those damned traffic cops.. always breakdancin' in the street

it was bound to happen.. Thank goodness Judge Walker decided not to sue for "bothering his beautiful mind" when he ran over the cop..

[leveymg]

4. Nothing erratic or impaired about Pickles when she slammed into her boyfriend's car in 1963.

killing him.

[melody]

5. We are but parsley on the plate of their eternal banquet

The Bushophiles will find a way to spin it, though.

[partylessinOhio]

6. Who was Officer Picagli?

From Above the Law
__________________

Officer Dan Picagli, R.I.P.

Over the weekend, after spending several days in critical condition, New Haven police officer Dan Picagli passed away. Officer Picagli was the officer who was struck last Tuesday in a traffic accident by Judge John M. Walker, Jr.

Judge Walker sits on the Second Circuit and maintains his chambers in New Haven (where he also teaches at Yale Law School). He was driving home in his sport utility vehicle at the time of the accident.

Officer Picagli, 38, was a 17-year-veteran of the police force and a father of four. He was praised for his service by several public officials, including New Haven's mayor and chief of police. In the words of Mayor John DeStefano, "Officer Picagli was more than a cop. He was someone who brought people together, who created a sense of community... His basic decency will keep his memory vibrant in our city."
...

Officer Picagli, who works in a youth-oriented policing unit and runs the Police Athletic League, a program for city youths, is well-loved by both his colleagues and the kids he works with.

http://www.abovethelaw.com/john_walker/



The street was dark but the officer was wearing a fluorescent yellow vest over a long rain coat... "He was clearly seen by other motorists at the time of the accident," Mayor John DeStefano Jr. said Thursday.