A tow truck driver who injured multiple cyclists and killed one after he drove into a bike safety ride will spend 17 years in prison. Normand Cloutier was sentenced in a Flagstaff court yesterday.
It’s been almost three years since Cloutier turned right onto Butler Avenue as a group of cyclists participating in a community ride had just started to make their way across the intersection.
Cloutier told police the sun was in his eyes. He thought the light was green. It wasn’t.
Five people were seriously hurt, and 29-year-old Joanna Wheaton was killed. Cloutier was charged in connection with the crash and for sexually explicit photos of minors found on his phone during the investigation.
Do I feel remorse for the accident? Absolutely," Cloutier told the judge during the sentencing. "Is it something I could have prevented under the circumstances? I don’t have an answer for that."
But Wheaton’s family saw it as an attempt to avoid accountability.
Wheaton’s partner, SG Crocco, spoke too. Crocco was also hurt in the crash and is still recovering from a traumatic brain injury.
"Norman, you are going to prison — possibly for the rest of your life," Crocco said. "You are free of having to be truly accountable to any of us."
Cloutier pleaded guilty to reduced charges in November. He will be 75 when he’s eligible for parole.
