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State Police Trooper Indicted On Motor Vehicle Homicide Charges

BOSTON (CBS) - A State Police trooper accused of causing the accident that killed a mother and her daughter last September is now charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide.

A Grand Jury returned an eight count indictment against 25-year-old John Basler Wednesday afternoon.

Police say Basler was off-duty when he hit a car on Federal Furnace Road in Plymouth. Police say his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit to drive.

Sixty-four-year-old Susan Macchi and her 23-year-old daughter Juliet died in the crash.

The Grand Jury returned indictments charging Basler with two counts of motor vehicle manslaughter, two counts of motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and carrying a firearm while intoxicated.

Basler, who joined the State Police in 2012, has been suspended without pay.

He will be arraigned at Brockton Superior Court at a later date.

Massachusetts State Police Colonel Timothy P. Alben released the following statement Wednesday:

"First and foremost tonight, our thoughts are of Susan and Juliet Macchi as well as with their family and friends who mourn them. We are cognizant of their tremendous loss. Drunk driving is a scourge in our society, and is all the more maddening because it can be prevented by drivers making the right choices. We condemn the actions of anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car while impaired. Today's indictments are the result of a comprehensive investigation by the Plymouth Police Department, the Office of Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz, and our State Police Collision Reconstruction and Analysis Section and the Plymouth County State Police Detective Unit, all of whom were dedicated to following the evidence wherever it led. The defendant in this case remains suspended without pay. His status with the department will be evaluated further upon conclusion of the criminal proceedings against him."

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