Leonard W “Butch” Porter
Vehic/Purs
Officer Michael D. Cruse was driving at least 53 mph in a 35 mph zone without lights or siren when he ran a stop sign and struck Leonard W. "Butch" Porter's pickup truck, killing Porter. Cruse and officer Roger A. Smith had responded in separate cars to a burglar alarm at Cargill Inc. and found evidence of a break-in. Another burglar alarm call then came in from Kanequip Inc. The officers thought it might be related to the first alarm and that they had a chance to "catch the bad guys," Smith said. Cruse ran a stop sign at NW Silver Lake Road and struck Porter's westbound truck just before 5 a.m. The second alarm turned out to be false. Cruse was fired on June 17, and was charged with unintentional and reckless involuntary manslaughter, along with failure to obey a traffic device, speeding and a seat belt infraction.