Former Addis Police Officer David Cauthron, 42, plead guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of negligent injury today in the case of him speeding through a red light in pursuit of a suspect, and crashing into a vehicle with three teens on December 31, 2022.
Maggie Dunn, 17, an 11th grader; and Caroline Gill, 16, a 10th grader, both died in the collision. Maggie’s brother, Liam Dunn, was still in critical condition from the collision at La. Hwy. 1 near N. Vaughn Drive in Brusly. Liam is now recovering.
Cauthron was booked by the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and a grand jury later indicted him on 2 counts of manslaughter and 1 count of negligent injury. He plead guilty to those charges today. He was sentenced to 32 years in DOC, suspended to 10 years on the 2 manslaughter charges, and 6 months in parish prison on the negligent injury charge, with the parish prison term to run concurrent. He must report to jail on May 23, 2024.
The pursuit of the suspect, Tyquel Zanders, 24, began in Baton Rouge, where he’s accused of stealing his father’s vehicle. Zanders crossed the Mississippi River Bridge, where West Baton Rouge law enforcement began the chase. He continued fleeing, going back over the bridge and eventually was arrested when his car stalled. He was charged in West Baton Rouge with two counts of manslaughter.
“We hope this guilty plea brings some relief to those families and the West Baton Rouge community from this tragedy,” said 18th Judicial District Attorney Tony Clayton. “As I have said before, sirens and police vehicles do not give an officer the authority to cut through a red light. They must slow down or come to a complete stop when human life is in danger. In this case, Cauthron was grossly negligent, and the lives of these young people would not have been taken had he exercised common sense. His actions ended the lives of young people with a promising future ahead of them. It’s very sad.”