Ames bus driver pleads not guilty in fatal crash

AMES - The CyRide bus driver accused of striking and killing Iowa State University student Emmalee Jacobs on Dec. 14 has pleaded not guilty in a written arraignment filed Monday.

Benjamin D. Clague, 23, of Gilbert, was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and failure to obey a traffic control device. He pleaded not guilty in documents filed in Story County District Court. A trial is scheduled for April 5.

Jacobs, 18, of Urbana, was struck by a CyRide bus as she crossed Ash Avenue at Lincoln Way just after 7 a.m., investigators said. It was dark and rainy at the time and no surveillance cameras in the area caught an image of the crash. Police spent days interviewing people, checking auto body shops and asking for the public's help to solve the case, fearing it could go cold as students packed up and left for the holiday break.

According to Ames Police Cmdr. Jason Tuttle, a CyRide supervisor was reviewing bus videos and came across a 'concerning video.” From there, he said the supervisor was able to identify the driver as Clague, who was arrested Jan. 20.

Tuttle said Clague was driving west on Lincoln Way and made a left turn onto Ash Avenue against a flashing yellow arrow when the bus struck Jacobs.

Police asked CyRide for videos from buses in the area that day, but police did not have audio from the recording. It wasn't until the CyRide supervisor reviewed it later with the audio and heard a loud noise that police suspected the bus may have been involved.

Tuttle said the video also showed Clague driving to the next stop, getting out and inspecting the bus. The video did not show any passengers on the bus.

According to court documents, a pretrial conference has been set for March 22.

If convicted, Clague could be sentenced to five years in prison.