Kansas City, Kan., man pleads guilty in traffic death of woman
A Kansas City, Kan., man pleaded guilty Friday to causing a traffic crash that killed a 79-year-old woman last year.
Joshua J. Brazeal, 28, pleaded guilty in Wyandotte County District Court to involuntary manslaughter in the Aug. 19 death of Geraldine Strader.
Brazeal also pleaded guilty to charges of criminal possession of a firearm and aggravated battery.
Sentencing was scheduled for March 6.
Strader, a retired school librarian, was killed in a two-car collision near 38th Street and Haskell Avenue.
The crash occurred a few minutes after a Kansas City, Kan., police officer had attempted to pull over a Cadillac that had been reported stolen, but the driver sped away and the officer did not pursue it.
Just before the crash, another officer driving near 38th Street and Parallel Parkway saw the same car speeding, according to police reports. But as the officer began a U-turn to follow it, the Cadillac collided with Strader’s Toyota.
A passenger in the Cadillac also was injured. Brazeal ran from the scene but was arrested later in Kansas City.
In exchange for Brazeal’s guilty pleas, prosecutors dismissed charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license.
To reach Tony Rizzo, call 816-234-4435 or send email to trizzo@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published January 30, 2015 at 4:45 PM.