Louisville officer driving without lights, siren before fatal wreck won't be charged

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville grand jury declined to indict a Louisville Metro Police officer who was speeding on Fern Valley Road and didn't have her cruiser's lights and sirens activated when she was involved in a fatal crash April 2.

The grand jury returned a "no true bill" Wednesday on a charge of second-degree manslaughter presented against Officer Alyssa Begel in the death of 61-year-old Charles Briscoe.

Erran Huber, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office said "any loss of life in our community is a tragic circumstance.

"However, when it comes to considering the circumstances surrounding someone’s death, each case is different. In any death investigation, there may be mitigating factors that ultimately lead to a determination not to criminally indict."

Dashcam released in fatal crash involving LMPD officer responding without lights, siren

Officer Alyssa Begel remains on administrative leave.

Huber wouldn't comment on the mitigating factors or whether the prosecution made a recommendation to the 12 grand jurors on whether to charge Begel.

In his statement, Huber said the grand jury "opted not to proceed with filing criminal charges, as they determined that outcome too is in the interest of justice. We respect their decision, and we appreciate their deep dive into all the available evidence."

Attorney Steve Schroering, who represented Begel, declined to comment.

Brandon Branson witnessed the crash. Since the crash, he's stayed in touch with Briscoe's family. He even attended a meeting alongside them with prosecutors.

"They said we'll be reaching out to you for a statement, just be looking out for a phone call. I have answered every phone call that has come to my phone for the last week and a half and none of them have been a prosecutor, none of them have been an LMPD number," said Branson.

The jury never heard testimony from Branson.

In a statement from LMPD, a spokesman said the department "respects the grand jury’s decision."

An internal investigation into Begel began April 2 and remains open and active, according to the statement from Sgt. Matt Sanders.

Begel is still employed by LMPD and remains on administrative leave.

"Because this is still an active investigation, we are not able to provide further information other than to express our continued condolences to Charles Briscoe’s family," Sanders said.

A silent dashcam video shows Begel swerving through traffic before the impact, when her cruiser hit a black Cadillac that pulled onto Fern Valley Road. Briscoe, the driver, died at the scene.

Begel suffered serious injuries and was released from the hospital after several days. She was responding to an emergency request for help from an EMS crew.

The video shows Begel speeding past nearly 10 cars seconds before crashing into Briscoe's black Cadillac.

According to Begel's personnel file, she was hired in October 2022 and has 22 commendations and three reprimands for discipline.

One particular incident in the documents show Begel was "at fault" in a car accident a year after her hiring, in October 2023, and disciplined for it in April 2024 in the form of a verbal reprimand.

This story may be updated.

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