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Leonard W “Butch” Porter

Leonard W “Butch” Porter

Other
Gender Male
Age 61 yrs
Nationality United States
Marital Status Unknown
Date of Death 04/30/2002
Location NW Vail and NW Silver Lake Road Topeka KS 66608 Shawnee
Cause of Death

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.

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Alleged Responsible Party
Topeka Police Department
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Sources & References

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National Anthem
United States