Placer DA won’t charge former Placer CEO Todd Leopold in crash that killed 18-year-old

Placer County prosecutors are declining to file charges in the March 19 crash in which former county Chief Executive Officer Todd Leopold hit and killed 18-year-old high school senior Anthony Williams, who was standing in the middle of a Rocklin road at night wearing dark clothing.

“After reviewing the facts, the District Attorney’s Office finds that no criminal charges are appropriate because there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred,” D.A. Morgan Gire’s office said in an announcement Tuesday. “Given the facts revealed by the investigation to date, there is no evidence of any criminal or wrongful intent on the part of the driver at the time of the collision.”

The decision came in a six-page report issued Tuesday that declared numerous witnesses saw Williams, an aspiring basketball player and Inderkum High School senior, walking in lanes of traffic, acting “strange” or “walk-dancing.”

The report also said investigators analyzed Leopold’s cell phone and determined it was not in use at the time of the 8:06 p.m. collision, and that Rocklin police saw no sign of impairment of Leopold following the crash.

There is no indication in Rocklin’s police report that Leopold was given a blood-alcohol content test at the time.

The D.A.’s office also noted that it was aware of media reports that have described Leopold’s driving history, which includes speeding and a drunken driving charge that later was dropped.

“Although these past incidents of speeding may be relevant if there was evidence that the driver was speeding at the time he struck the pedestrian, the prior events are not relevant where there is no evidence that the driver was speeding or driving recklessly in the present case,” the report said. “Nevertheless, this office considered these past speeding violations, and their existence was given the appropriate weight in the ultimate analysis of culpability.”

Leopold had told police he believed he was traveling 35 to 45 mph at the time, and a police investigation later estimated he was “traveling at a speed of between 27-48 mph with a probable speed of 36-40 mph in a 40 mph zone.”

The report largely mirrors a Rocklin police report reviewed by The Bee in July that described Leopold telling officers that he was driving his Jeep Wrangler south on Lonetree Boulevard near Adams Drive on his way to a gym when he suddenly saw a figure in the road ahead of him.

Leopold had ‘no time to apply his brakes’

“At this moment, he was presented with the backside of the pedestrian who was wearing all black or dark clothing and standing directly in the middle of the number one lane,” according to the 53-page police report, which a source allowed The Bee to review after Rocklin police refused to release an unredacted copy.

“Todd said that he had no time to apply his brakes, but turned his wheel to the right in an attempt to avoid the pedestrian,” the report said, adding that Leopold was emotional as he was being questioned.

“Todd continued to break down emotionally and say how devastated he was,” the report said. “He said that after striking the male, he stopped to the right of the roadway where his Jeep was currently positioned.”

Initially, Rocklin police and Placer County officials refused to name the driver in the incident, and Leopold did not acknowledge he was the driver until two months after Williams’ death.

Rocklin police issued an announcement in May that an investigation had determined the driver was not at fault and no charges would be filed, but Gire’s office said at the time that it would conduct an independent review.

Leopold could not be reached immediately Tuesday. A cellphone for him was not accepting phone messages, and he did not respond to a text message left at that number. A message left at another cellphone listed for him did not receive a response.

Leopold was fired after harassment claim

Leopold was placed on administrative leave two months after the incident, then was fired in June from his $299,606-a-year job after being accused of workplace discrimination and harassment. The county has said his firing was not related to Williams’ death.

Since then, Leopold has been sued by Williams’ brother, Isaac Tidwell, and Williams’ sister, Queenisha Wade, in separate lawsuits in Placer Superior Court. Online court records show both cases are pending.

Gire’s office said it began the investigation after receiving assurance from the state Attorney General’s Office that it did not have a conflict of interest in investigating the matter.

“The Attorney General’s Office determined that a recusal was not appropriate and that the legal review of the collision should be completed by this office,” the report said. “In the course of this review, this office received and considered written reports, recorded interviews, and body camera footage, with additional reports received at the end of August 2022.

“There has been considerable public interest in the facts of this case expressed in the media and by way of inquiries by the general public. This office has had multiple experienced prosecutors independently evaluate the evidence in order to arrive at the best and most informed decision possible.

“Although this process has been lengthy, it has ensured that all evidence and interests involved have been considered in the final decision.”

This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 3:30 PM.