Arrest made in fatal I-90 crash

PEMBROKE, N.Y. (RELEASE) - An arrest has been made after completing the investigation into the fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred on interstate 90 in the Town of Pembroke on December 12, 2009.

Julie Stratton was first involved in a car deer accident which disabled her vehicle in the lane, and was then struck by a tractor trailer. She was killed as a result of injuries sustained in that second accident.

Investigation revealed that the driver of the tractor trailer was in violation of the Transportation Law. He was operating the tractor trailer while keeping fictitious log books. He was also on duty for over 27 hours with a very limited amount of sleep. The investigation revealed that he was operating on only about four hours of sleep at the time of the accident. Investigation into the driver's actions at the time of the accident also revealed that he was using a lap top computer, which was on his lap, to stream pornographic movies while he was operating the truck.

The Genesee County DA's Office was advised of the details of this case and a conference was held on January 26, 2010.

The driver of the truck, Thomas Wallace 9/26/64 of Ohio, came to the New York State Police, Thruway, Buffalo station for a second interview on January 26, 2010. He made admissions during this interview. Wallace was arrested and processed for Manslaughter 2nd degree and arraigned in front of Judge David O'Connor of the Town of Pembroke Court. Wallace was committed to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash or $200,000 bond.

Also, the Western New York Regional Computer Forensic Lab was instrumental in this investigation. They provided technical assistance through the analysis of computer evidence.