Jury finds officer guilty of charges related to fatal accident

A Benton Township patrol officer was convicted of charges filed after an accident that killed a pedestrian in September 2015. He was driving to a call without his lights or siren activated.

Eugene Anderson was convicted of one count of motor vehicle violation causing death, a one year maximum misdemeanor, according to the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office.

The trial lasted three days. The jury began deliberations at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and returned with the verdict at 8 p.m.

A sentencing date has not been set.

Anderson was driving a marked patrol vehicle when he struck pedestrian Kimberly Bedford, who was crossing Pipestone Avenue near Rose Street.

When Anderson was charged, the prosecutor's office alleged Anderson was driving 65 miles per hour without his siren or lights activated when the accident happened.

The speed limit in the area is 35 miles per hour.

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