Imprisoned man granted hearing

Convicted of vehicular homicide, he may benefit from new testimony.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE, Times Staff Writer
Published November 29, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT The crash involving truck driver Jean Claude Meus killed a woman and one of her daughters.

TAMPA - Since that fatal night at Seven Mile Point in Hardee County, Jean Claude Meus has tried to clear his name.

After an appellate court ruling filed Wednesday, Meus' attorney and supporters say he's a step closer to freedom.

"Big stuff. Big stuff. Obviously we are extremely pleased with the court's ruling," said Largo attorney John Trevena, who represents Meus. "When you really read the language clearly, this essentially gives Mr. Meus a new trial."

On May 11, 2001, Meus was driving a truck loaded with tomatoes when he collided with a minivan carrying a mom and her three young daughters home from a shopping trip. The mother, Nona A. Moore, and her daughter, Lindsey, died.

A jury decided it was a crime, convicting him of two counts of vehicular homicide. Prosecutors accused him of recklessly falling asleep at the wheel, saying that a driving log showed he had been behind the wheel too long. A judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

Meus, 43, a Haitian immigrant, is serving the sentence at Sumter Correctional Institution.

Since then, an unlikely pairing has formed to fight against Meus' imprisonment. His fiancee, Rebecca Chenoweth, 48, of Knoxville, Tenn., and Dana Christenson, 44, of Tampa. Christenson is Moore's sister.

Together with Trevena, the women pressed for new information in the case that would prove that Meus had not been sleeping at the time of the crash.

The trio say they found that key witness in Juan Otero of the Zolfo Springs Fire Department, one of the first emergency personnel to arrive at the crash site.

Before the trial, prosecutors listed Otero as a witness, but he was not interviewed by the defense and did not testify in court, Trevena said. Otero now says that he saw Meus immediately after the accident, and that Meus did not appear sleep-deprived.

Otero's testimony at trial would have been vital, Trevena said.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal agreed that Otero's testimony should be heard. It has granted Meus an evidentiary hearing.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Chip Thullbery, a spokesman for the 10th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office, disagreed with Trevena's view.

"I believe it's premature to say there will be a new trial until there has been that hearing so the trial court can explore the factual allegations that are made," Thullbery said.

No hearing date has been set yet, but the appeal court decision was enough to bring hope to both Christenson and Chenoweth.

"Isn't that awesome? Love it!" Christenson said. "I was dumbfounded, happy, elated. ... We've been working on this so long."

Reached in Knoxville, Chenoweth said she's waiting to see some results.

"Well, we're hoping that the right thing is finally done," Chenoweth said. "At least I have to say I have more than a glimmer of hope."

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at vansickle@sptimes.com or 813 226-3373.

[Last modified November 29, 2007, 00:18:45]