Siblings of 2012 Police Chase Victim File Suit Against City of Belmont

police tapeThe city of Belmont is being sued by the Civitas Institute, a conservative nonprofit think tank out of Raleigh, for not releasing investigation results following a 2012 police chase in which two people died.

The complaint was filed on behalf of Ellen Deitz and Dan Deitz, siblings of Donna Deitz who was killed in the chase, on Friday in Gaston County court. Donna and another person had been killed in February by the driver who was fleeing from Belmont police, the Institute said.

Donna Deitz and Kevin Loftin were hit by Lester Saunders Norman as he fled from officers from a police checkpoint at Exit 26 of Interstate 85.

Norman, who did not have a driver’s license and was on federal probation, had been going around 80 miles per hour and later said he fled to try and avoid going back to prison. He has received a prison sentence of 25 years for the deaths of Deitz and Loftin.

Following the deaths, the city of Belmont began investigating the police department, which changed its chase policy after the crash.

Ellen and Dan Deitz had filed a public records request earlier this year to obtain the investigation results if an effort to shed some light on their sister’s death, the Civitas Institute’s lawsuit showed.

The request was denied by the city, saying they are prevented from releasing personnel record information, which the investigation contains, due to North Carolina statutes.

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