Appeals Court Says Ex-Police Chief Can Be Sued In Crash

MEMPHIS, Mich. (AP) - A former police chief in a small Michigan town can be sued for a crash involving a patrol car.

The Michigan appeals court court agreed with a Macomb County judge who refused to dismiss the case against Jessica Beels Koveck. She was police chief in Memphis when she crashed her car into a FedEx truck and injured the driver in 2014.

The court says Koveck doesn't have immunity in the lawsuit because there are significant disputes about what happened. Koveck concedes she was distracted, didn't notice a stop sign and didn't stop. Witnesses said she was unsteady and might have been under the influence of alcohol.

Koveck was fired after the crash. Memphis is on the Macomb County-St. Clair County border.

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