Weigelt

Morgan Weigelt testified at her vehicular homicide trial yesterday inside the Marshall County Courthouse.

Weigelt, 24, of Albion, allegedly drove on Highway 330 on May 20, 2023 when she rear-ended a tractor driven by 86-year-old Clarence Borton. According to the law enforcement report, while driving Weigelt performed a search for car parts on her cell phone. The report stated Weigelt had 552 feet of distance with clear visibility to take evasive action to prevent the collision. There was no indication she activated her brakes, and the vehicle she drove came to a stop due to the damage from the collision.

Weigelt’s attorney, Jacob Blackburn, called her to the stand after three other defense witnesses – Dylan Dare, Clint Dare and Shawn Carkuff. Before Weigelt was sworn in, Judge Jennifer Miller temporarily dismissed the jury, so she could make sure Weigelt was aware of the pros and cons that could come from testifying and was doing so of her own free will.

Blackburn asked Weigelt if the accident was traumatic. Crying, she said she was not at work for eight weeks afterward because of nightmares.

“I could not cope with the fact that my job is to help people, and I could not help him,” Weigelt said.

Blackburn asked if, while driving, she had looked up “crank shaft pulley” on her cellphone. Weigelt responded she did not and was not on her cell phone while driving.

“It is an unspoken rule,” she said. “You don’t get on your cell phone while driving. You do anything before you leave the location you’re at.”

Clint Dare previously testified that he helped teach Weigelt how to drive. As a truck driver, he stressed the importance of hands-free phone usage and ensured vehicles were equipped with aux cords and radios to allow drivers to converse on phone calls.

Blackburn also asked his client if she knew what the Life360 app was. She told him it was an app installed on her phone and those of her family members. It lets a person know where others in the same Life360 group are located. Weigelt said family members were notified of the accident by the app, not by her.

The witnesses called to the stand yesterday were for the defense, but Marshall County Attorney Jordan Gaffney cross examined them after Blackburn was finished. Dylan Dare, who was with Weigelt when the accident occurred, told Gaffney he was familiar with the roads in the area, and described Highway 330 as somewhat flat. He told Gaffney the road was dry, the sky was clear and Highway 330 is not generally used for farm equipment since there are nearby gravel roads.

Blackburn said a suggestion was made during a previous trial day that Dylan Dare would “fudge” the truth to help Weigelt and asked if that was true. Dylan Dare responded it was not.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.