Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CACHE COUNTY — Utah Highway Patrol troopers said 21-year-old Kalin Menlove-McGinnis had only three hours of sleep over a 72-hour period before he rear-ended a car last September.
"He indicated to our troopers on the scene that he had not slept in some time," UHP Lt. Lee Perry said. "He had drank some caffeinated beverages that morning before leaving work."
Menlove-McGinnis was charged in court Monday with negligent homicide and driving without insurance. Perry said Menlove-McGinnis didn't realize he had followed the car in front of him into the left turn lane. He rear-ended a Jeep being driven by Leigh Purser of Richmond, and pushed it into oncoming traffic along SR-91 near Cove where it was struck by another vehicle.
Purser's widow, Monica Purser, was in the courtroom.
"He was a great guy. He loved everybody," Monica Purser said in tears. "We had a daughter together and my boys, which he loved with all his heart."
Prosecutors said in court that Menlove-McGinnis continued to work his two jobs after the September accident, only getting a few hours of sleep every couple of days. Judge Kevin K. Allen agreed to hold Menlove-McGinnis on a $5,000 bond, providing he doesn't drive if he bails out.
"He doesn't need to be out," Purser said, "I mean, he killed my husband. My kids are going to grow up without their father."
Perry said drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving.
"The driving patterns are almost identical," Perry said. "There's only one thing that works if you're out there driving. If you're feeling fatigued or tired, you've got to pull over and you've got to get some sleep."
