Driver to plead guilty in crash that killed NH State Police Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill

Karen Dandurant, Foster's Daily Democrat
·2 min read

BRENTWOOD — The man facing trial for the October 2021 crash that took the life of New Hampshire State Police Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill has agreed to plead guilty to negligent homicide and reckless conduct.

Jay Medeiros, 45, of Ashford, Connecticut, on Nov. 8 filed an intent to change his plea from not guilty to guilty to the two Class B felonies, each carrying a potential jail term of 3.5-7 years. His case is being heard in Rockingham County Superior Court and he's represented by Ronald Caron of the Devine Millimet law firm. The plea and sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 12.

New Hampshire State Police Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill was killed Oct. 28, 2021 after a crash involving his police cruiser and a tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 near a Portsmouth exit.
New Hampshire State Police Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill was killed Oct. 28, 2021 after a crash involving his police cruiser and a tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 near a Portsmouth exit.

Authorities in court documents previously alleged Medeiros had ingested marijuana no more than three days before the crash and was storing marijuana in the cab of the truck. The indictments further allege the tractor-trailer operator passed at least two advance warning signs and multiple emergency lights cautioning drivers about the construction zone.

Two motions to exclude testimony about there being THC in Medeiros' system and another about marijuana found in his truck, had been submitted but were not ruled on because of the plea agreement.

Caron declined to comment.

Sherrill, assistant commander of the state police’s Troop A unit and a Barrington resident, was killed in the line of duty, succumbing to injuries suffered when a tractor-trailer unit plowed into his cruiser on Interstate 95 just north of Exit 3 in Portsmouth on Oct. 28, 2021. He was 44 years old. Sherrill was on I-95 north of Exit 3 in Portsmouth working a detail with a mobile construction unit installing rumble strips along the roadway.

More: Barrington renaming street for fallen Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill. It was his son's idea.

In May, the town of Barrington, where Sherrill lived with his family, voted to rename the road where he resided with his family as Sergeant Way, honoring his memory.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Driver to plead guilty in crash that killed NH trooper Jesse Sherrill