Man expected to plead guilty in wreck that killed KC police officer and a pedestrian

A 20-year-old Tonganoxie man is expected to plead guilty Friday afternoon to charges relating to the wreck that killed a Kansas City police officer, a pedestrian and a police dog, according to court documents.

Jerron A. Lightfoot’s change in plea comes just days before he is expected to go on trial in Jackson County Circuit Court. The jury trial was scheduled to begin Monday.

Prosecutors charged Lightfoot with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter for operating a vehicle at an excessive speed and running a red light, causing the crash that took the life of Officer James Muhlbauer and a pedestrian, Jesse Eckes. Muhlbauer’s police dog Champ also died in the crash.

Lightfoot is on county house arrest after posting $3,000 of a $30,000 bond. Lance Sandage, Lightfoot’s attorney, has asked that his bond be modified after the change in plea.

In the motion, Sandage said Lightfoot is expected to continue on bond between his plea and sentencing. Since being released on bond about a year ago, Lightfoot has reported as required with his probation officer and random drug testing. He has no violations on his release.

Lightfoot is asking that that the condition of house arrest be removed, allowing him to leave his house while remaining on GPS monitoring. The motion indicates that prosecutors oppose modifying the bond.

Traveling 85 mph or more

On the night of Feb. 15, 2023, Lightfoot was allegedly speeding in his white Ford Fusion south on Benton Boulevard when he crashed into the driver’s side of the patrol car Muhlbauer was driving east along Truman Road.

The 42-year-old Muhlbauer, a 20-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, was taken to an area hospital and later pronounced deceased. Champ was found dead in the back second row.

The impact caused a second collision, hitting 52-year-old Eckes, who was sitting on a concrete traffic signal island.

Authorities said tests showed the Ford’s brakes were working before the crash and that the vehicle was traveling at 85 mph or more just before impact.

Under Missouri law, Lightfoot faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter if convicted.

Court records showed that Lightfoot has a history of traffic citations. About a month before the fatal crash, Lightfoot had been cited for careless driving.

In August 2022, he was stopped for driving without a valid license and careless driving, Tonganoxie police records said. A note on the docket by Police Chief Greg Lawson read, “defendant needs to plea as to what is charged, nothing amended as they already cut many breaks for him.”

The license charge was dismissed and Lightfoot pleaded guilty to careless driving. The case was closed on Dec. 21, 2022.

Before that, Leavenworth County documents show he was issued a traffic infraction on Oct. 4, 2021, when he was driving 87 mph in a 65 mph zone. He entered into a diversion agreement and the case was dismissed in March 2022.

Public outcry after charges filed

After charges were filed against Lightfoot, there was a public outcry that two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter were not enough. The death of a police officer deserved more, maybe second-degree murder.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, in a rare interview with the media, said there were many questions from the public, fed by grief and outrage over the loss. While saying what happened was “awful,” Baker said her obligation as an officer of the court goes beyond what emotions alone may dictate.

Baker said the law didn’t support charging Lightfoot with second-degree murder. She said she had two choices, first-degree involuntary manslaughter or second-degree involuntary manslaughter. The difference, she said, is whether a person “recklessly” or “negligently” caused the death of another person.

Baker went with the higher charge of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, deeming the speed that Lightfoot was allegedly traveling as “reckless.”

She said they were the highest charges she could level.

Muhlbauer’s widow, Cassie Muhlbauer, signed a letter addressed to Attorney General Andrew Bailey calling for another prosecutor to step in, saying she believed Baker’s office is “anti-police.”

The letter further accused Baker of “many conflicts of interest” in cases involving members of law enforcement generally.

“It is clear that this is only a concern if it has political benefit to Jean Peters Baker and her office,” the letter says. “We are officially asking for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office to be removed from this case due to a strong conflict of interest with numerous cases against KCPD and its personnel.”

The letter was drafted and sent by Justin Huttie, a former KCPD officer and partner of Muhlbauer’s who was assisting the family.

Mike Mansur, a spokesman for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, at the time shared a statement saying there was “no apparent conflict in this case.”

“We will prosecute this case vigorously and ethically on behalf of all victims involved, as we do in all cases,” the statement said, adding that the office prosecutes teachers, nurses and priests without being “anti-education,” “anti-nursing” or “anti-Catholic.”

State law, however, only allows two instances where the attorney general’s office can move in to prosecute, Madeline Sieren, a spokesperson for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, said.

One would require a judge’s ruling that disqualifies a local prosecutor from the case. The other is when a prosecutor requests the assistance of the attorney general’s office.

The Star’s Bill Lukitsch, Katie Moore and Eric Adler contributed information to this story.