Use of Youth Road Crews Is Halted After Fatal Crash

RENO — Clark County and several rural Nevada counties have suspended use of juvenile road cleanup crews after a weekend crash killed six teenagers in Las Vegas.

“The work program has been put on hold. We’re forming a task force to make sure safety measures are in place,” Doug Bradford, Clark County spokesman, said Tuesday.

“We’re looking for alternatives we can use to provide additional safety measures.”

Bradford said there’s a possibility the program could be scrapped.

Five members of a juvenile work crew were killed Sunday when a minivan driven by an Arizona woman went off Interstate 15 and slammed into a cluster of workers. A sixth victim died Monday.

All were under court order to pick up trash as punishment for minor offenses.

The driver, Jessica Williams, 20, of Littlefield, Ariz., was booked into Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, reckless driving and drug-related charges.

Juvenile work crews also were suspended in Douglas, Humboldt, Pershing and Lander counties, and Washoe County’s road detail and the state’s Adopt-a-Highway program are getting increased scrutiny.