Wesco crash leads to traffic ticket, $4,000 restitution

Jordan

By Allison Scarbrough. OCP Editor.

ROTHBURY — A 33-year-old Rothbury man who was arrested last month in connection to a crash at the Wesco convenience store the night of April 8, in which a natural gas line was severed, will plead this week to a civil infraction, avoiding criminal prosecution, Oceana County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Kabot said.

John David Jordan appeared for a pretrial in 78th District Court last week, Kabot said, and his attorney, Gary Springstead, was able to create “reasonable doubt” through a video shot at a vehicle repair facility that demonstrated a ruptured brake line. Also submitted as evidence for the defense were a receipt for the repair work and Jordan’s testimony that he was unable to stop the vehicle, Kabot said.

“As a result, Mr. Jordan is going to plead to careless driving,” the assistant prosecutor said. Careless driving is a civil infraction that puts three points on a Michigan driver’s license, he said. Jordan has also agreed to pay Wesco $4,000 in restitution up front, Kabot said, which will spare Wesco from a civil suit.