Trial of man accused in Pontiac officer’s death will stay in Livingston County

A judge has ruled the trial of a South Carolina man accused of reckless homicide in the death of a Pontiac police officer will not be moved outside Livingston County.


Jason Collins' trial will be held in Livingston County. It's a decision that rejects a defense argument that an unbiased jury cannot be seated in Pontiac.


Collins is charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence in the October 2013 crash that killed Pontiac officer Casey Kohlmeier and his K-9 partner, Draco.
Authorities say Collins was drunk when his pickup truck struck a marked squad car parked in the median of Interstate 55 near Pontiac.

The defense motion argument two weeks ago pointed to extensive media accounts of the accident may have tainted the jury pool.


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