Arrest warrant issued for Florida truck driver charged in Highway 97 crash that killed La Pine woman
(Update: Added video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – An arrest warrant has been issued for a Florida truck driver who failed to appear in court last week and faces criminally negligent homicide and other charges in a crash a year ago on icy Highway 97 that killed a La Pine woman and seriously injured her pregnant daughter, who lost her child as a result.
Desiree Danielle Johnson, 34, of St. Petersburg, Fla., failed to appear for a Feb. 20 pre-trial conference and a warrant was issued, court records show.
Johnson was indicted last June and pleaded not guilty in October to criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault and reckless driving in the Feb. 29, 2024 crash south of La Pine in northern Klamath County that killed teaching assistant Elise Adair Farrens, 37.
Oregon State Police said Johnson lost control of her semi-truck, which spun out of control and crossed into the path of a northbound Honda Pilot driven by Farrens. A passenger in the SUV, Daviana Trussell, 23, of La Pine, was seriously injured. She was 26 weeks pregnant and suffered the loss of her unborn child. Johnson reportedly suffered minor injuries.
The indictment’s assault charge alleges that Johnson was “driving recklessly, in a snowstorm, without chains (and) without the necessary experience” at the time of the crash.
A $100,000 arrest warrant also was issued last October for Johnson but later canceled or recalled, court records show.
Last month, Johnson’s attorney asked for a delay in a scheduled pre-trial hearing due to the still-pending inspection of the 18-wheeler involved in the crash. A judge allowed that delay but said Johnson “must appear in person” at the rescheduled Feb. 20 hearing and ordered her to be booked and released from jail before then.
A year ago, KTVZ News spoke with Farrens’ shocked, grieving sister, Elaine Medley, who called for tougher speed limits and regulations to curb speeding or reckless driving by semi-truck drivers.
