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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Charges filed in crash that killed officer

Roanoke police say the Ohio man was driving the wrong direction on U.S. 220.

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An Ohio man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal wreck last weekend that killed an off-duty Rocky Mount police officer.

Brooks Ryan Leisure, 25, of Logan, Ohio, is being held at the Roanoke City Jail without bond.

The Saturday morning crash on U.S. 220 in Roanoke killed Jason Maxey, 34.

Leisure was driving the wrong way on the divided highway between Elm Avenue and Franklin Road when his Isuzu Rodeo struck Maxey's southbound Chevrolet Malibu, according to search warrants filed by police in Roanoke Circuit Court.

Maxey, who was off duty and driving his personal vehicle, died at the scene.

An officer responding to the wreck wrote in a search warrant that Leisure appeared to be intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. Police took out a search warrant Saturday to obtain blood samples from Leisure but would not answer questions about his blood-alcohol content.

Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell said Wednesday that he had not seen results from the blood test. If evidence shows that alcohol was involved, additional charges could go before a grand jury in November, he said.

Leisure was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital after the wreck and was arrested when he was released Tuesday night, Roanoke police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said.

Leisure's father told The Roanoke Times on Monday that his son had told him he was a passenger in the Isuzu, but police maintain that he was the driver.

Roanoke police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the wreck to call 853-2211.

Staff writer Jorge Valencia contributed to this report.

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