Wal-Mart Driver Pleads Innocent to Criminal Charges in Tracy Morgan Case

Kevin Roper, the driver of a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. truck in the 2014 accident that killed a colleague of comedian Tracy Morgan, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and nine other criminal charges, Roper’s attorney said.

Roper entered his plea in Superior Court in Middlesex County, New Jersey. His attorney, David Jay Glassman, told Transport Topics he plans to file a motion April 15 to dismiss the charges.

The Georgia resident was driving a truck northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike in June 2014 when it collided with a van in which Morgan and several colleagues were riding. James McNair died in the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a report that Roper had driven more than 700 miles to start his shift at a Delaware warehouse just before he began a series of deliveries that took almost 11 more hours on the road.

In addition to the criminal case, the accident led to multiple civil suits in federal court against the world’s largest retailer. Those suits have been settled.

Trucker Kevin Roper pleads not guilty to all charges in #tracymorgan crash. @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/pI8UA7kggP — John Bathke (@JohnBathkeLive) February 1, 2016

VIDEO: News report from News 12 New Jersey