The household of a person killed by a truck driver whereas biking on a rural highway exterior of Salem two years in the past says they’ve been robbed of justice. The driving force, 48-year-old building firm proprietor Robert Weeks, confronted a cost of criminally negligent murder for his position within the dying of Adam Pleasure in June 2023. Weeks was driving his Ford F350 truck on Wallace Highway NW between Salem and McMinnville when he struck Pleasure from behind. Pleasure, who was driving behind his teenage son, died on the aspect of the highway.
The felony cost carried a most sentence of as much as 10 years in jail and a high quality of as much as $250,000; however Weeks labored out a plea settlement with Decide Monte Campbell and Polk County District Lawyer Aaron Felton to dismiss that cost and plead “no contest” to a lesser cost of tried assault. The settlement additionally features a deferred sentence, so if Weeks stays out of authorized hassle for the subsequent two years and writes a letter to the household, the assault cost can be dismissed. Weeks, who along with hitting Pleasure, had a number of rushing citations on his file (together with a $2,000 high quality for rushing in 2021), walked out of the courtroom with out admitting guilt and with no restrictions positioned on his driver’s license.
In keeping with Pleasure household buddy and former journalist Mara Stine, who was on the listening to, Weeks was unwilling to entertain any settlement that restricted his driving as a result of he mentioned it will intrude together with his job as a contractor.
“That’s not honest! I would like justice!” Adam’s mom Masako Pleasure cried out by sobs as she absorbed what was occurring within the Polk County Courthouse in Dallas Oregon on Monday morning.
The dozen Pleasure relations and associates who made the journey to Dallas knew there was an opportunity the felony cost could be dropped, however they held out hope for a trial and a few sense of closure. They obtained neither.
When given a chance to deal with the household within the courtroom, Stine informed BikePortland, “Weeks didn’t say something to them. As a substitute, he cleared his throat and remained silent. Adam’s mom was a ball of fury and heartache.” Stine shared.
In an electronic mail to BikePortland Monday, Pleasure’s ex-wife Narumi Pleasure wrote,
“I’ve no phrases to explain what all of us felt. The place is the justice? I not consider within the police or the justice system. [Weeks] was mainly let loose with nearly no punishment. Even his file of killing somebody will go away if he behaves for 2 years. There’s no suspension and even limitation on his driving privileges. What sort of world is that this?”
Oregon State Cops who responded to the scene of the crash made preliminary statements that minimized Weeks’ position (saying he slowed down previous to the collision) and mentioned Pleasure had fallen over in entrance of the truck previous to the collision. Nonetheless, that preliminary police assertion didn’t match what a witness shared with BikePortland two weeks later. That witness noticed the collision from the other lane and mentioned Weeks was “going fairly quick” and “the truck by no means moved over.” She got here ahead after seeing the police model of occasions and mentioned, “I really feel like they’re defending the driving force.”
Pleasure’s lawyer Larry Sokol and members of Pleasure’s household have expressed critical considerations concerning the high quality of the investigation that adopted. They’re shocked that Pleasure’s son, who was just some yards a means from the collision, was by no means interviewed. And, regardless of repeated request from Sokol and his authorized crew, the Oregon State Police by no means gave them an opportunity to look at Weeks’ truck earlier than releasing it again to him.
Three months after the collision the Polk County District Lawyer mentioned there was inadequate proof to cost Weeks, however then reversed course in early 2024 and agreed to maneuver ahead with the fees and a trial. Hopes of a trial and a point of justice is why so many members of Pleasure’s household drove to Dallas to be within the courtroom Monday.
On the listening to, DA Felton informed the household he understood they have been upset with the end result. “However I additionally don’t suppose going to trial was acceptable,” he added. Since the usual for a criminally negligent murder conviction is ‘past an affordable doubt,’ the DA feared an acquittal if the case went to trial. Felton mentioned that even when Weeks would have been discovered responsible, his lack of a legal file means he wouldn’t have been sentenced to jail time.
The protection lawyer discovered a driver who was behind Weeks on the time of the collision and supplied an announcement saying Weeks was not rushing. DA Felton mentioned this testimony counter-balanced the witness who noticed the crash from the other lane who testified he was rushing. Weeks testified earlier than the grand jury that he thought he’d safely handed the bicycle owner, who will need to have fallen off his bike and underneath his Ford F-350 pickup truck as he drove by.
Primarily based on feedback he made Monday, Felton believes the plea deal supplies not less than some measure of accountability. It additionally supplied an opportunity for the Pleasure household to deal with him in courtroom and inform him how this devastated their lives and their household. Weeks sat dealing with the choose together with his arms folded throughout his chest whereas Pleasure’s 17-year-old son and ex-wife shared emotional statements about what Pleasure meant to them and expressed grave disappointment about what they really feel is an absence of justice. (DA Felton’s authorized aide declined to debate the case yesterday when requested about it in a telephone name, and DA Felton has not but replied to an electronic mail with questions looking for extra data.)
The conclusion of this case has left Adam Pleasure’s household enraged and reeling.
In an electronic mail to BikePortland, his sister Gina Wilson wrote, “Whereas I perceive that it isn’t the DA’s job to seek out justice for a single household, it’s his job to seek out justice for a group. He has failed miserably. He’s a coward.”
“To me, it appears that evidently they didn’t take Adam’s dying significantly as a result of he was an Asian man bicycling (God forbid) in a conservative, bicyclist-hating group, who induced a serious inconvenience to everybody on a stupendous Saturday morning,” Narumi Pleasure shared on Monday after the listening to. “I’m nonetheless making an attempt to suppose what else I can do or ought to be doing, however I consider having Adam’s story out there may be an important factor.”
“Killing Adam is perhaps erased from Weeks’ file in two years as if Adam by no means existed, however he did exist. Adam left such large footprints in everybody he met in 55 years of his life. He was a superhero to his college students,” she continued. “I miss Adam a lot. Please don’t allow them to erase Adam from existence.”
— Mara Stine contributed reporting to this story. Study extra about Adam Pleasure at this on-line memorial created by his household.
