Flint District Judge William Crawford has determined that there is sufficient evidence to bind Curtis Douglas Lee II over for trial because he caused a fatal accident that resulted in the death of a civilian and the injury of a Michigan State Trooper.
On Tuesday, October 14th, in the Flint District Court, Lee was bound over to Circuit Court on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, felony firearm, and fleeing a police officer.
Accident injuries and loss of life
These charges are the result of a deadly car accident that occurred on July 3rd. A Michigan State Trooper attempted to stop Lee after seeing him commit a traffic violation on Stewart Avenue in Flint. Lee fled the scene, driving at high speed for seven city blocks before the trooper’s patrol car crashed into another vehicle, causing it to land on its side in a neighboring yard.
62-year-old Jacqueline Nichols, who was in the vehicle that was hit by the trooper, was pronounced dead shortly after the accident. The other two people traveling with Nichols, along with a passenger who was traveling in the patrol car, were all injured in the accident and taken to a local hospital for treatment. The trooper was also injured but has since recovered.
After the accident, Lee continued driving on North Street, but soon lost control of his vehicle and hit a utility pole in the process of attempting to turn onto Ridgeway Street. At that point he abandoned the car and fled on foot. 22-year-old Jasmin Lakeisha Dent, who had been a passenger in Lee’s car during the high speed chase, drove it away from the scene of the collision. Dent was later arrested and charged for her complicity in the accident.
Timothy Fagin, the MSP Trooper who was involved in the collision elected not to testify during Lee’s preliminary exam, citing protection by his fifth amendment rights. Trooper Fagin is currently being sued by Nichols’ estate in the wake of the crash that killed her.
Lee is being held on $100,000 bond in the Genesee County Jail. If convicted, he is facing the possibility of more than 15 years in prison.