Prosecutors said they have also charged 39-year-old Lawrence Brewer with second-degree murder in the Jan. 30 death of 55-year-old Dale Allen Pokarney.
Police said Brewer had a blood-alcohol level of more than 0.2 percent, or more than twice the legal limit, when his car hit a taxi driven by Pokarney.
Prosecutors say the added charge alleges Brewer acted with extreme indifference to human life when he got behind the wheel of his vehicle.
Cab drivers provide a vital service to us all. [In this instance calling a cab instead of driving would have saved a life, and the remainder of a life to be spent in prison]. It is *extremely* hazardous work, and not at all well compensated for the importance it serves society at large. And all too often, injuries or death of cabbies are treated far too lightly, by LE, DAs, and juries. So I'm pleased to see that there are appropriate charges being filed in this case.
I have to add - Interlocken devices, as standard equipment on all road legal vehicles, would most likely have prevented this death, the risk to everyone else driving at the time, and the consequences the driver will now have to face for his indifference and grossly irresponsible behavior, at great cost to the public.