CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A trial date is set for the Kanawha County EMT accused in the high-profile death of a man who was killed after being struck and dragged by an ambulance in Elkview last month.
Alyssa Middleton, 19, appeared before Kanawha County Circuit Judge Dave Hardy on Friday for arraignment and pleaded not guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, and fleeing the scene of an accident-causing death, all felonies, in the death of John Lucas.
Judge Hardy set a $100,000 surety bond for Middleton and scheduled her trial for August 17. In arguments over bond, Middleton’s attorney, Tim Carrico, described her mental state after she and her partner saw Lucas outside the Elkview ambulance station with what they believed to be a knife.
“They didn’t want to get out of the ambulance. They were scared because they knew he was out there. They saw him with a knife. They were scared. I believe this will all come out in the video because it’s all recorded,” he said.
Reports initially indicated that Lucas was struck by the ambulance after running into the road and jumping onto the hood of the vehicle, which investigators do not believe to be what actually happened. Carrico stated that his client acted out of fear.
“He’s coming at them at the front of the ambulance, and that’s when they’re screaming and yelling, and she reacts to that situation. Mr. Lucas is hit at that point in time,” he said.
Lucas is believed to have been dragged under the ambulance, losing his arm in the process. According to Carrico, Middleton and her partner both called 911 after the collision and believed Lucas to have been left at the scene.
“She’s scared. Her partner’s scared; they both call 911. They get 911 on the phone. She’s with 911 on the phone the whole time, from the time she calls right after this happens all the way until the time she finally stops and I submit she followed their instructions,” he said.
Carrico described Middleton as a young adult with no prior criminal history and a lifelong Kanawha County resident who began working for the county ambulance authority just four months before the fatal incident. He expressed his and Middleton’s sympathies for Lucas’s family.
“She reacted. That’s what happened—a horrible tragedy. I can’t even express how bad I feel for what the family’s going through who’s here today, and knowing the manner in which their son died, I just can’t express that, nor my client,” he said.
The case drew significant attention on social media soon after Lucas’s death, with supporters of the family calling for charges to be filed and holding a protest in downtown Charleston. Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Debra Rusnak held a media conference days after the incident and worked with Scott Summers, the attorney for the Lucas family, to try and limit outcry in a way that would allow the investigation to move forward without distractions.
“One of the biggest hurdles that we had in this case is the false information that was spreading around out there. It starts as just a false statement by one person, but once that circulates around, those allegations and those statements are certainly things that law enforcement has to investigate,” Rusnak said on MetroNews Talkline.
Supporters that have taken to the slogan “Justice for John” packed the courtroom for the arraignment, with some wearing shirts that called for the arrest of Middleton and her partner. Frustration mounted as weeks went by without charges or updates, but Rusnak said that only happened because details of the investigation needed to remain confidential.
“If I could put it all out before the public today, I would do that, but because of that, it does seem to hinder the faith that the public has in the system and in me and in the sheriff’s office. We are simply abiding by the rules, and I don’t think that people really understand that,” she said.
Both parties acknowledged that the case moved to this stage quickly, which Rusnak credits to good timing.
“Thankfully, we were able to get it presented a little more quickly than we normally would have, and that was simply because of the court schedule and the grand jury schedule. It was helpful in being able to move forward a little quicker,” she said.
With a trial date set, focus turns toward discovery for both the prosecution and defense with more evidence left to be processed in the coming months. Rusnak does not anticipate any charges being changed.
“We wait on that evidence, but I would have waited to have that evidence in hand had I thought it would be outcome determinative, and by that I mean whether or not it would have affected the nature of the charges that were brought forward,” she said.
Kanawha County Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Ryanne Ball and Brian Yost are prosecuting the case on behalf of the state.
Middleton is out free on bond.