LAS VEGAS (AP) - A judge in Las Vegas deemed an Arizona truck driver accused of killing five bicyclists on a Nevada highway last month a danger to the community and a risk not to return to court, ordering him jailed without bail pending a preliminary hearing of evidence.
Jordan Alexander Barson’s court-appointed attorney, Shane Zeller, asked Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum on Monday to set bail at $20,000, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported .
But the judge noted that Barson could face more than 100 years in prison if he’s convicted of all 14 charges against him - including driving under the influence causing death and reckless driving. His next court date is Jan. 21.
Barson, 45, of Kingman, Arizona, is accused of crashing the box truck he was driving into a group of recreational bicyclists from Las Vegas making an annual ride through the desert on U.S. 95 between Boulder City and Searchlight, Nevada.
He told investigators he fell asleep at the wheel Dec. 10, but a prosecutor said blood tests showed he had almost 950 nanograms per milliliter of methamphetamine in his system.
Five bicyclists were killed, all from Las Vegas. Four others were injured.
Federal safety monitors also deemed Barson a hazard to public safety and barred him last week from operating a commercial motor vehicle.
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