KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County sheriff’s deputy who seriously injured a man in a May 2018 crash in Raytown pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor traffic charge.
Sean R. Stoff, 34, was driving his patrol vehicle without active lights and sirens during a high-speed chase in violation of department policy when he ran a red light and smashed into a vehicle driven by Chris Reed.
Reed was hospitalized in a coma, suffered several broken bones, and need more than 100 stitches and staples around his head after the crash.
Stoff, who resides in Blue Springs, pleaded guilty to one count of careless and imprudent driving involving an accident, a Class A misdemeanor.
He received one year of supervised probation after the judge suspended imposition of a jail sentence, must complete 40 hours of community service and has been ordered to take a Missouri State Highway Patrol course for the safe operation of emergency vehicles.
"The investigation was conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol with cooperation of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department," Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a statement from her office. "Ultimately, this a just outcome for the deputy's carelessness, running a red light, that resulted in serious injuries and financial hardship for the victim. He continues to recover.”
Stoff was assisting in a high-speed pursuit May 9, 2018, along southbound Missouri 350 after the deployment of StarChase, a GPS-tracking system that allows law enforcement to disregard dangerous pursuit but still track a suspect’s movement.
"This officer accepted responsibility by pleading guilty," Baker said. "Officers of the law must obey the law, just like anyone else in our community."
Reed sent a written statement to the court, which said: "I hope that reckless drivers are held accountable no matter their job title, or who they are so no one else has to suffer like my family and I have suffered. … I hope someday we can move on and move past this."
