COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A former Coldwater man who was charged in connection with a crash in April of 2021 near the intersection of Marshall and Taylor entered a no contest plea on Monday in Branch County Circuit Court to operating a vehicle while under the influence of marijuana causing serious injury.
47-year-old Raymond Arnold Root, who now has a Springfield address, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, 2024.
In exchange for his no contest plea, a second charge of operating under the influence causing serious injury, reckless driving causing serious impairment of a body function and moving violation causing serious impairment of a body function were dismissed by prosecutors.
A warrant for Root’s arrest was issued in June of 2021. He was booked into the Branch County Jail on August 31, 2023.
Coldwater Police investigated the crash. It was stated by the investigating officer in court documents that Root’s vehicle was traveling south on Marshall at a high rate of speed which led to a rear end collision with another vehicle.
The vehicle which was hit then crashed into a Coldwater Board of Public Utilties pole which caused about 50 CBPU customers to lose their power.
The driver of the vehicle which was hit suffered fractures to her back and ribs which required surgery. Police say a blood draw on the suspect revealed drugs in his system but no alcohol.
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