The Utah County deputy who struck and killed a Brigham Young University student last year is facing a criminal charge in connection with the Provo wreck, the Summit County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The deputy, Joseph Richardson, 52, has been charged with manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Joseph Spencer, court documents show.
Sheriff Mike Smith said Monday that Richardson has worked for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years, and has been on leave since the crash.
“This incident is a tragedy for all involved,” Smith said. “Our hearts are broken for the loss and pain this accident has caused.”
On March 16, 2021, Joseph Spencer was pulling out of a Taco Bell parking lot at 433 North and 900 East in Provo when Richardson crashed into Spencer’s vehicle, killing the student.
According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, Richardson had been heading to the scene of a police standoff involving an armed man in Pleasant Grove that afternoon. No one was injured in the standoff. The black truck that Richardson was driving was his personal vehicle and was not equipped with lights or sirens, police said.
Data collected from Richardson’s vehicle showed that he was traveling at a speed of about 56 mph just before the fatal crash as he drove southbound on 900 East, where the speed limit is 35 mph, charging documents state.
Richardson crashed into Spencer as the student pulled out of the Taco Bell parking lot to turn left onto 900 East and travel north, a probable cause document states.
“As I was coming down here I saw him start to pull out in front of me,” Richardson told authorities, according to the charging documents. “I shouldn’t ... I shouldn’t have tried to beat him.”
After the wreck, Richardson rendered aid to Spencer, the document reads, but Spencer was declared dead at the scene. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, a medical examiner determined.
Last week, through a public records request, The Salt Lake Tribune obtained the Spencer family’s notice of claim — the first step toward filing a lawsuit or reaching a settlement with a government agency. Randall Spencer, an attorney who is representing the family, said at the time that the family intended to file suit, but he did not immediately answer a request for comment Monday about the charge Richardson now faces.
The Utah County Attorney’s Office announced Feb. 1 that it was transferring the decision to file charges in the case to the Summit County Attorney’s Office. The Utah County Attorney’s Office serves as civil attorney to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, and transferred the case to avoid any conflict, the February news release noted.
When asked why the Utah County Attorney’s Office transferred the case in February, nearly a year after the fatal crash, chief deputy Sandi Johnson provided the following statement through a spokesperson:
“The [officer involved critical incident] investigation was conducted by various law enforcement agencies, excluding the sheriff’s office,” Johnson said. “By law, they presented their findings to our office. The investigation continued to answer additional questions. When it was complete, our office took those findings and turned the case over to the Summit County attorney for charging decision.”
The Summit County Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the charge filed Monday.
Joseph Spencer was “quiet and easygoing, but quick-witted,” according to his online obituary. “He had an infectious laugh and smile, and he loved to make others laugh.”
At the time of his death, he had recently served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Diego, California, the obituary states. A BYU spokesperson said Monday that Spencer had been majoring in information technology.
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