Crash driver faces another charge

POLICE PLAN to press an additional charge against the driver of a Mercedes-Benz over a fatal road accident a week ago.
“But we will have to gather more evidence, including medical information, first because this additional charge is about driving while ability impaired,” Ayutthaya’s police chief Pol Maj-General Sutti Puangpikul said yesterday.
The fatal accident, in which two postgraduate students were killed, occurred on March 13 in Ayutthaya. Jenpop Weeraporn’s Mercedes slammed into the back of the victims’ car, which then caught fire.
Police found Lexapro pills, dispensed by a mental health hospital, in Jenpop’s car. More information is needed before police can determine whether the pills could affect his driving ability.
Driving while ability impaired is punishable by up to three months in jail and/or a fine of between Bt2,000 and Bt10,000.
At present, Jenpop has already been charged with reckless driving that led to two deaths, property damage, and drunk driving.
The accident has caught huge media attention. A great number of people have expressed concern that Jenpop, 37, may be able to evade punishment given that police failed to test his blood-alcohol level right after the accident.
The superintendent and deputy head of Phra-in Racha Police were transferred in the wake of the outcry. They are now facing a probe.
Ayutthaya’s deputy police chief Colonel Puwadit Chanakotchapat is now heading a fact-finding panel in charge of the probe.
An informed source said Puwadit intended not to give any interview to media because the transferred police officers fell into big trouble partly due to live interviews they gave.
“The superintendent seems to lack full understanding in inquiries related to land-traffic cases, the process to gather evidence at scenes and to press charges,” Puwadit said in a LINE message to a police chat group.
He said due to the lack of understanding, the interviews stirred up public sentiment against inquiry officials.
However, he suggested that police were not slow in acting on the case, it was just that many people were quick to jump to a conclusion based on a single video clip they saw.
“But police need time to gather evidence and question many witnesses,” he said.
Deputy National Police Commissioner General Pongsapat Pongcharoen plans to visit the family of one victim, Kritsana Thaworn, on behalf of the national police chief in Chanthaburi province today.
“During the visit, I will explain the ongoing proceedings related to the case. I will also listen to the family’s opinions,” he said.