Driver allegedly looking up porn charged in fatal I-15 crash

LEAVAN, Juab County — A driver who police believe was looking up pornography prior to causing a three-vehicle crash that killed a Utah man has been charged.

Christine Chao, 44, of Rosemead, California, was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony.

On June 12, on northbound I-15 near Levan, emergency crews responded to a crash near a construction zone.

"Traffic had been slowed due to ongoing construction. Two vehicles were traveling at a slower speed when a vehicle driven by the defendant, Christine Chao, struck the rearmost vehicle, causing it to crash into the vehicle ahead of it," charging documents state. "Officers did not observe any brake marks on the road to indicate the defendant slowed before the crash."

A passenger in the back seat of one of the vehicles, 66-year-old Scott LaVar Lichfield of Fillmore, suffered a head injury and later died from their injuries, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.

The charges state that Chao "told officers she was at fault." Investigators seized her phone and obtained a warrant to search it.

"An examination of the phone pursuant to the warrant showed that (Chao) had accessed the website xvideos.com less than two minutes before the crash occurred. This website is commonly used to view pornographic videos," charging documents state.

According to his obituary, Lichfield had just celebrated his 39th wedding anniversary with his wife the day before. He is survived by five children.

"The very best thing he loved was just being with his children and grandchildren. He would see a grandchild and say to them, 'Come give me a hug.' He loved them so very much. He read to them, watched movies with them, played chess, and built legos. They all loved their Papa/Pop Pop," the obituary stated.

"He loved and adored playing Santa Claus. He even looked like him. He had so many little kids over the years come up to him wherever we were at and smile shyly or ask him if he was Santa. One time a little boy came up to him at a hotel and said to him, 'Santa, are you on vacation?' Oh, he loved that. He even had a red winter jacket to keep the magic alive all winter."

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