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Waterford Man Found Not Guilty In State Trooper Dragging Death

PONTIAC (WWJ) - A Waterford Township man has been found not guilty in the 2015 dragging death of Michigan State Police Trooper Chad Wolf.

Charles Warren Jr., 70, was charged with reckless driving causing death or moving violation causing death, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death. The jury acquitted him on all counts, Wednesday afternoon.

warren and wolf
Charles Warren Jr., left and Chad Wolf (Booking and handout photos)

Reporting from Oakland County Circuit Court, WWJ's Jon Hewett said it was an emotional scene with members of both Warren and Wolf's families present in the courtroom.

According to investigators, Wolf was on patrol Aug. 28, 2015 along I-75 near Dixie Highway in Springfield Township when Warren's car, which was towing a trailer, collided with his motorcycle.

Police said 38-year-old Wolf was pulled from his vehicle, trapped beneath the trailer and dragged almost four miles before Warren pulled into a freeway rest area.

The state argued that Warren knew must have known he hit something, while defense attorney Neil Rockind said his client believed he had a flat tire.

There were hugs and tears in the courtroom following the reading of the verdict. Afterword, Warren did not comment but Rockind told reporters it's clear that the system works.

"An extraordinary man died in this horribly tragic accident; we've always known that it was a horrible tragic accident, we've always called it that," Rockind said. "We believed very strongly that what should have happened is that no one should have been charged in the case, Charlie should've not been charged and we should've all left with it being a tragedy...it was not a crime."

Rockind said there were no winners here, and that Warren will have to live with what happened for the rest of his life.

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