Truck Driver Charged With Murder After Crash

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Posted: 11:08 PM Jan 23, 2008
Last Updated: 6:58 PM Jan 24, 2008

28 comments

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A truck driver from Alabama has been charged with murder after police say he caused a crash that left a Frankfort woman dead.

Police say 46-year-old Paul George Neto, of Decatur, AL, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he crossed the center line on U.S. 421 and ran into a minivan head on at around 9:00, Wednesday night.

The crash was so violent, the truck pushed the van 250 feet, left the road and ran into several trees and utility poles. Police say the vehicles were fused together.

The driver of the van, 41-year-old Leslye Robertson of Frankfort, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neto was taken to the hospital and then on to the Franklin County Detention Center. He's been charged with Murder, Operating Motor Vehicle Subject Impaired Alcohol/Drugs 1st Offense, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Control Substance 1st degree Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He's being held in the Franklin County Detention Center on a $1 million dollar bond.

U.S. 421 was shut down overnight as police investigated the crash. It is now back open, but police say they'll have to shut it down sometime on Thursday so they can remove the tractor trailer from the scene.

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Posted by: Lindsay Location: Frankfort on Feb 5, 2008 at 12:56 AM
Neto should be thankful that he still HAS his daughter unlike that poor family here in Frankfort that lost there precious daughter Leslye do to some psycho, none-caring drug addict who only thinks of no one but himself! Neto, don't think that you will get pitty from us here in Frankfort because we want you out of town before sundown ONCE your trial is over which should not take long considering you MURDERED one of our own!!!!!!! And to you Alabama peeps who are defending this KILLER, hope you ALL ain't like him!!!!! If so PLEASE stay out of OUR state!

Posted by: Macy Location: Frankfort on Feb 2, 2008 at 12:37 AM
Leslye was late getting in from church so her husband & 12 year old daughter went to look for her and came upon the accident! What a tragedy for a child to see this! I know one of the cops that worked the wreck and he said it was one of the worst he has ever seen. (edited) Some of my family is good friends with the husband, daughter & Leslye's Mom & Dad. This is such a tragedy! Let's hold this family up in prayer! Drinking, drugging and driving just ain't worth it! What a precious lady taken at such a young age and had so much to live for and look forward too. God help them!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Mike Location: Danville on Jan 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM
I recently heard a good take on how to get rid of the drug problems we face today. Make them legal. Make those who sell the drugs pay taxes on the income. If we start taxing drug shipments that come into the country from Columbia, and other drug dealing places, the shipments will stop. These drug dealers are business men, and when you start eating into their profits, like any good business man, they will stop shipments.

Posted by: Kourtney Location: Hazard, Ky on Jan 27, 2008 at 05:05 PM
You Would Like This World Would Straiting Up A Little Bit. But, If You said That You'd Be Lying Too You Too Your Self. This World Needs Too Clean The Messes Up From Car Crashes, DUI, Murders. Much More. I Dont Kno How Much More The World Can Take It. I can Take It. I Cant Take It Much More!

Posted by: donny Location: ky on Jan 26, 2008 at 05:52 PM
i think all workers should be drug tested. its sad that it comes to this but druggies messes up ever thing.not safe to be on the roads any more. not safe to be in your home either.. what a world we live in..

Posted by: johnny Location: ky on Jan 26, 2008 at 08:34 AM
the economy has nothing to do with driving under the influence.trucking companies does drug testing but some people knows how to get around it.look at the people who drives cars while druged up probly a lot more of them than they are truck drivers.no matter what you are driving if you have a wreck and someone is killed you had better not have drugs in your system no matter where it is your fault or not.just wondern how many people drive daily under the influence.but lets all pray for this womans famile they have lost a loveone

Posted by: Wiliam Location: Pineville, KY on Jan 26, 2008 at 07:33 AM
We do not need more laws on the books; we need to let law enforcement enforce the laws that are on the books without crying that it is not fair. This truck driver made the choice to use those illegal drugs and drive his truck. Now he will lose his job, be jailed for murder, and have to remember this wreck the rest of his life. NO JOB IS WORTH THAT!!!!!

Posted by: William Location: Pineville, KY on Jan 26, 2008 at 07:26 AM
The truck driver chose to use those illegal drugs and to operate his vehicle that way. It is not the trucking industry problem but the drivers. This just gives every truck driver a black eye. Law enforcement needs to check these drivers at the truck stops and on the road more often to try a keep this from happening again. If one truck drive is stopped this way before a fatal wreck happens again it will be worth all of the delays that this would cause. If you are going to use illegal drugs - stay off of the highways - save a life - it might be yours!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Mike Location: Bowling Green on Jan 25, 2008 at 09:30 PM
Thought and prayers go out to this ladies family and every life she has touched. I have known Paul personally for 15 years, it is sad day for me. He is not the kind of man that would ever want to hurt anyone. I can say that he would give his life to change it all back. As for the commets about a weak judical system I cant agree more. We had a lady kill 2 men and the other lost his leg @ a year ago and she as the same got off with a slap on the wrist. She was a pot head and was driving a commercial truck. These men where on motorcycles and she crossed over into the other lane picking up a pack off smokes. Anyway God bless all families and God be with them. Also Paul will be in jail for the rest of his life. This is hard for me to say about a brother but that is what happen when you play in (edited), and that is what he deserves.

Posted by: SR Location: Foothills on Jan 25, 2008 at 08:49 PM
This is very sad.. I do have to agree with Alabama from Alabama.. until they do something with these druggies instead of turning them loose because they "just don't have the room to hold them" things are just going to get worst.. and not all truck drivers drink and drive.. they work hard for a living.. (most of them), but just like anything else..there are those few. God Bless this Family..

Posted by: alabama Location: alabama on Jan 25, 2008 at 08:07 PM
I feel sorry for the families involved in this, dont get me wrong. But it infuriates me to hear someone blame the TRUCKING industry. Look in the next weeks paper and see how many people are killed by people who are not truck drivers...Blame your goverment and your police departments for not doing there job, they are more interested in getting re-elected and writing speeding tickets. Its a shame that WE THE PEOPLE have let our country become what it is...

Posted by: alabama Location: alabama on Jan 25, 2008 at 12:57 PM
continuation. WE will never be able to get rid of 100% of the drugs and drug users on the street, this will always be a problem, but we can make strides to reduce the number of users and dealers. Blaming the trucking industry for this is wrong, its like blaming the auto industry when a drunk driver kills someone....

Posted by: alabama Location: alabama on Jan 25, 2008 at 12:55 PM
this post is for the(edited) that thinks you should drug test a driver after every run. (edited) I think you need to be drug tested. Think for a moment, FedEx has 10,000 plus drivers, test them everyday before a run, thats 50,000 tests a week @ $35.00 per test, you do the math...Find one company that could afford to do this. Trucking companies are required by law to perform pre-employment drug tests on all applicants, the next step is to do a 10 year background check, which includes checking with prior employers on drug test results. All companies are also required to have a random drug test program in place. Companies are requred to test a minimum of 50% of its drivers each year and 10% on alcohol testing. The problem is not TRUCK DRIVERS, its DRUGS AND our LAWS (laws that we the people have allowed our goverment to pass and enforce. If we had stricter laws and they were enforced on drug dealers and users, this problem would greatly be reduced. to be contd

Posted by: JEREMY Location: LEXINGTON on Jan 25, 2008 at 09:00 AM
HOW DOES THE ECONOMY COME IN TO PLAY WITH A DRUNK DRIVER. THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING SOMEONE WHO USES WOULD SAY.

Posted by: Susan Location: East Bernstadt on Jan 24, 2008 at 10:34 PM
There is a lot of very hard working truck drivers out there that do not use drugs or alochol and they run hard to try and make a living for there familys it is guys like this is what gives the decent drivers a bad name our thoughts and prays are with her family

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 24, 2008 at 10:16 PM
this is all drugs is fit for.now some one has lost there life. i wish all druggies was sent to prison.for the rest of there life. all they fit for is to take lives..sad

Posted by: Red Location: Alabama on Jan 24, 2008 at 07:54 PM
Please include Neto's daughter in your prayers.

Posted by: Steve Location: Lexington on Jan 24, 2008 at 05:49 PM
This is precisely the reason why we need to have a tough DUI law instead of the pansy law we have now. Our legislators treat DUI's as if they're just a nuisance, they still have the attitude people had in the 60's when it wasn't a big deal...well listen up, its a BIG DEAL and you have to do something about it. VOTE OUT EVERY LEGISLATOR THIS YEAR and let's put people in there who will create laws that make sense. No more lawyers in the state house, they are the ones who water the bill down every time a good one comes out. 30 day minimum jail sentence for a DUI. Death penalty if involved in an accident that takes someone's life. I bet the DUI rate in KY would drop in half if that law passed.

Posted by: Jessica Location: Mt. Sterling on Jan 24, 2008 at 03:30 PM
I send my prayers and deepest sympathy to the family of this lady. This is just another sad example why drugs are destroying peoples lives! You never know when you get in a vehicle if some crazy person is going to meet you on the road drugged up on something or drunk on alcohol. This totally infuriates me and I think that someone like this should not get a slap on the wrist and being driving again. He committed murder. Semi drivers are not to blame, they are to blame when they ingest drugs and alcohol. God bless her family and friends.

Posted by: Jason Location: Georgetown on Jan 24, 2008 at 03:21 PM
How did this trash get through human resources and the hiring process in the first place. You put a junkie in a 60000 pound vehicle and you are asking for disaster. Well, for the family's sake I hope this guy gets the death penalty. I also hope it gets deep into the pockets of the company who was negligent and hired this junkie.

Posted by: anonymous Location: Frankfort on Jan 24, 2008 at 02:30 PM
Blame the economy for a drunk driver with drugs in his possession who hit and killed a woman head on with his semi? Come on!!! This is not an ecomomy issue. This is poor judgement (or lack of) on the semi driver's part. Some people are always looking to place blame elsewhere. Put the blame where it lies, with the individual who murdered an innocent driver.

Posted by: Sheila Location: Frankfort on Jan 24, 2008 at 02:16 PM
I don't think hard work has anything to do with it. He was drunk, probably drugged and behind the wheel of a semi. I was on my way home and saw the flash in the sky from the impact with the pole. I was lucky, probably the third car on the scene and fortunately I could get home. Leslye was not so fortunate. Nail Neto and the company he drives for.

Posted by: ANONYMOUS on Jan 24, 2008 at 11:13 AM
I thought they was suppose to drug test people who drives trucks. THEY NEED TO AFTER EVERY RUN THEY GO ON. ITS TO DANGEROUS NOT TOO. IM FROM SOUTHERN KENTUCKY AND LET ME TELL YOU I HAVE HAD MANY CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH BIG TRUCKS AND I SAY OVER HALF OF THEM HAVE BEEN DRUGGED UP. Just think about it if you drug tested this man before he started his run then this family may have been saved.

Posted by: nick Location: berea on Jan 24, 2008 at 10:52 AM
snowing heavy getting good precipitation

Posted by: Oh Please on Jan 24, 2008 at 10:27 AM
There are millions of hard working people who are not "drugged" up.He took the life of an innocent woman with a child and husband. There is absolutely no excuse to be drunk behind the wheel of a vehicle. Leslye was an awesome lady who died because of this man drinking and driving and who knows what else. Pray for her family, friends and co-workers.

Posted by: Lisa Location: Frankfort on Jan 24, 2008 at 09:29 AM
Rick....Be very grateful that your wife was behind the accident and not in it.

Posted by: Anonymous Location: frankfort on Jan 24, 2008 at 09:06 AM
i pray for the family of this lady, i know how it is my mom was hit baby a semi in may but was lucky to come out of it. someone in our family was the one who called 911 last night. we'll keep you all in our prayers

Posted by: concerned on Jan 24, 2008 at 07:48 AM
Until they bring out the old ropes again and the economy changes so people dont have to stay drugged up just to work so hrd this stuff isnt going to stop.

Posted by: Rick Location: Crash site on Jan 24, 2008 at 06:56 AM
The road was never opened. My wife could not get home in the neighborhood all last night. The crash made a loud boom and the electricity went off for a couple of seconds. My neighbor was first on the scene and he said it was not a pretty site. The road was still closed at 5:30 this morning when they pulled the cab of the rig out in front of me. It was extremely banged up. Sorry for the lady!

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