The Tooele County Attorney’s office has filed charges against the mother of a 9-year-old Tooele girl who died in an all-terrain vehicle accident on Feb. 8.
Necole Anderson, 39, has been charged with negligent homicide, reckless endangerment and driving with a measurable controlled substance in the body, all misdemeanors.
Tooele County Attorney Scott Broadhead said the charges were based upon a completed investigation by Tooele City Police in an email Thursday morning.
The police report was forwarded to the county attorney’s office with charges of automobile homicide, a third-degree felony, as well as operating an off-highway vehicle on a street or highway and two counts of protective headgear requirements, both misdemeanors.
A blood sample was taken from Anderson five hours after the accident at University Hospital in Salt Lake City. Tooele City police had previously reported the blood was taken at the time of the accident.
The blood test came back positive for Valium and marijuana. Broadhead said Anderson tested positive for Valium because EMTs gave her diazepam at the scene, “due to increasing hysteria over the condition of her daughter and her husband yelling at her.”
According to Broadhead, Anderson had admitted to using marijuana two to three days prior to the accident and the amount in her system was not enough to cause impairment. Charges filed against Anderson were based upon her poor judgment, not being impaired by drugs, Broadhead said in the email.
Witnesses said they saw the four-wheeler carrying 9-year-old Caessea Anderson, her mother and 13-year-old Dustee Anderson heading northbound toward the intersection of Century and Broadmoor drives, according to a police report of the accident.
The ATV accelerated as it neared the end of Century Drive and tipped toward the wheels on the right side of the vehicle, according to witnesses in the police report. The four-wheeler then collided with a barbwire fence separating the north end of Century Drive from the field, and the occupants were ejected from the vehicle, the report said.
Caessea Anderson received a major laceration to her neck and was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.
Necole Anderson was taken to Mountain West Medical Center for apparent arm and internal injuries. Dustee Anderson received only minor injuries and was not transported to the hospital, police said.