Jordan Alexander Barson
The driver of a truck that struck and killed five bicyclists on a Nevada highway arrived Wednesday in custody in Las Vegas, where he was scheduled to face a judge Thursday on felony driving under the influence charges.
Jordan Alexander Barson, 45, is expected to have a lawyer representing him on 12 charges also including reckless driving in the Dec. 10 crash involving a box truck and a line of bicyclists on U.S. 95 between Boulder City and Searchlight, Nevada.
Barson, of Kingman, Arizona, told investigators he fell asleep at the wheel. However, blood tests showed he had almost 950 nanograms per milliliter of methamphetamine in his system, prosecutor Eric Bauman said.
Methamphetamine is not legal, but criminal charges are typically not filed unless blood amounts top 100 nanograms per milliliter, Bauman said.
Barson was arrested Dec. 16 in Kingman.
Authorities said he was driving a regular delivery route from Las Vegas to the Arizona cities of Bullhead City and Kingman when the flat-faced truck plowed into bicyclists and a support vehicle about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Las Vegas.
The bicyclists were part of a group making an annual ride through scenic Nevada and California desert areas.