Investigations
Georgia Man Sentenced for Homicide by Vehicle Following Death of Police Officer
On July 26, 2017, the Chatham County Superior Court, Georgia, sentenced Robert Turner to 3 months’ incarceration, 9 months’ supervised release, and 12 months’ probation for his role in the 2015 death of Corporal William Solomon, a Georgia Port Authority police officer. Turner previously pleaded guilty to failure to exercise due caution, turn-signal violations, and homicide by vehicle (second degree) on June 6, 2017.
Turner was found to be operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) at the Port of Savannah container yard when his vehicle struck and killed the officer. Immediately following the accident, Turner was found in possession of a bag containing multiple prescription bottles, many of which were identified as pain relievers. He was arrested at the scene for driving under the influence, and a post-accident test of his blood was positive for cocaine.
Further investigation revealed that Turner’s DOT medical certificate did not indicate any chronic or medical health condition that required the medications found in his possession at the accident scene. Thus, Turner was not medically fit to operate a CMV and was using a fraudulently obtained DOT medical certificate when he caused Solomon’s death.
DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Georgia State Patrol.