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| Citing safety concerns, Corrections chief ends inmate-driving program after fatal crash |
| By omaha.com |
| Published: 07/07/2013 |
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LINCOLN, NB — Citing public safety concerns, Nebraska's director of corrections has put an end to a program in which prison inmates drove state vehicles. Director Robert Houston made the announcement Friday, 10 days after an inmate driver slammed nearly head-on into a minivan driven by 47-year-old Joyce Meeks of Lincoln. The mother of three was pronounced dead at the scene. Houston, who was out of the country when the accident happened, expressed condolences to her family. “I can only imagine the devastating impact this tragedy has had on her family and certainly wish for them to know they have been in my thoughts,” he said. Houston said he could not provide any new information about the accident or about Jeremy Dobbe, the 35-year-old inmate who was driving. He cited the continuing investigation by the Lincoln Police Department, as well as lawsuits that might be filed. Among the questions he declined to answer was whether department policy had been followed when Dobbe was approved to work as a driver. Houston expressed confidence in the professional judgment of the corrections staff charged with sorting through inmates' criminal, driving and substance abuse history. “There's sometimes a belief, a false belief, that everything's going to go fine” if policies and procedures are correctly followed, he said. “That's not always the case.” State policies say “special attention” is to be paid to an inmate's driving record and chemical abuse history before granting approval. Dobbe has two drunken-driving convictions, as well as other driving violations. His most recent DUI conviction was in 2003. The earlier one was in 1998. Other accidents involving inmate drivers in recent years show that he is not the only one with a history of drunken driving. Read More. |
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