Driver won't be charged in fatal road-rage crash

FARMINGTON — Davis County prosecutors have declined to charge a woman involved in a deadly road-rage motorcycle crash.

After meeting for hours on Wednesday, the Davis County Attorney's Office ultimately decided against pursuing any charges against Kris Prinster, who tossed a cigarette butt out her car window while at a Centerville intersection on Sept. 4, leading to a confrontation with Michael Rakes.

"We didn't feel we could prove that she did it intentionally or with any criminal negligence," deputy Davis County Attorney Steve Major told the Deseret News late Wednesday.

Rakes, 50, was riding on a motorcycle with his 10-year-old son. Centerville police insist Prinster did not throw the cigarette at him, nor did it hit him. Police said Rakes pursued Prinster's car to yell at her, driving in a lane designated for left turns only.

Their vehicles connected. Centerville police said Rakes' wife, who was on another motorcycle, told officers that Prinster's Mazda swerved in her husband's direction. But other witnesses said she never left her lane, Major said.

Rakes died of head injuries on Sept. 11. Police said he had given his helmet to his son, who suffered only an ankle injury and abrasions in the crash.

The Davis County Attorney's Office has sent the case back to Centerville city prosecutors to determine if they wished to pursue any minor violations, such as littering.