An on-duty Weber State University police officer who fatally struck a man with his patrol cruiser in September has been cleared of any wrongdoing, according to the Weber County Attorney’s Office.
An investigation of the Ogden crash found there was no criminal negligence on the part of officer Paul Tavake with the Weber State Police Department.
“It was just an unfortunate and terrible accident,” Weber County Attorney Christopher Allred said.
William Casselman, 69, was killed Sept. 30 at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and 27th Street while attempting to cross the six-lane boulevard in a crosswalk, according to a report on the investigation. The intersection is a few miles away from the Weber State University campus.
After walking east along 27th Street, Casselman came to the crosswalk at Washington Boulevard around 10:30 p.m. and began walking across it with the help of a cane. But before Casselman made it halfway, the light for north and south traffic on the wide street turned green, and Tavake struck Casselman with his patrol car as he drove through the intersection.
According to the report, Casselman was thrown about 40 feet, then slid 111 feet more along the pavement when he was hit by Tavake’s SUV. Photos from the crime scene show a large dent in the officer’s hood.
Casselman died at the scene from multiple blunt force injuries, the report states.
When Tavake struck Casselman, the officer had been going 54 mph, according to officer Mark Johnson from the Ogden Police Department, who investigated the crash. The speed limit at that point on Washington Boulevard is 35 mph. Tavake did not slow down or hit the brakes as he approached Casselman, the report states, which concluded that the officer probably didn’t see him as he tried to cross.
Casselman did push the button for a walk signal when he came to the intersection, Johnson said in the report. But since the traffic light was about to turn red when Casselman pressed the button, the system continued to show the “Do Not Walk” signal as he tried to cross the street, Johnson said.
After the crash, Tavake told an Ogden police officer that he had briefly looked down at the work laptop in his car just before hitting Casselman. But the investigative report states there is no evidence that shows Tavake had been using his computer for any purposes that were not related to his duties, and that he had not been using his cellphone.
Neither Tavake nor Casselman had alcohol or illegal drugs in their systems, the report states.
Tavake had been driving in the area of Washington Boulevard and 27th Street that night as he did routine security checks on buildings owned by Weber State University, according to the report. He has worked full time as an officer with the university since April 2020.
After the crash, Tavake was placed on administrative leave. He returned to work on Nov. 15, according to spokesperson Allison Barlow Hess, who spoke to The Salt Lake Tribune on behalf of Weber State and the university’s police department.
“We appreciate the work of the county attorney and the thorough investigation ...” Barlow Hess said. “We do extend our deep sympathies for the situation and for [Casselman’s] family.”
Tavake was cleared of wrongdoing in December, the county attorney said. The officer reportedly declined to provide a statement to investigators.
Attempts to identify or contact any of Casselman’s family members were unsuccessful. No obituary for him appears to have been posted online.
A notice on the Weber State police website urges drivers to watch out for pedestrians. “With the large amount of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, it is important that both drivers and pedestrians take an active role in looking out for each other.”
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