By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Ronald Chans Bateman, 33, of Pima, has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of tampering with physical evidence regarding the Jan. 9 early morning collision with Thatcher Middle School Principal Jessica Medlin.
The incident occurred at about 5:35 a.m. as Medlin was jogging eastbound along the northern shoulder of 200 North (Tripp Canyon), facing oncoming traffic. According to police reports, Bateman – who worked for the city of Safford – was eastbound in a city of Safford Chevrolet 5500 service truck when he crossed over the westbound lane and onto the northern shoulder, striking Medlin from behind and severely injuring her.
The police’s accusation is backed up by an eyewitness from an adjacent residence and video surveillance footage from a residence off Center Street more than 600 yards away that shows traffic on 200 North.
According to the eyewitness, he was on his front porch when he saw Medlin jog by in her reflective clothing and headlamp. The witness said this was a common occurrence, and he knew exactly who it was by her penchant for early-morning runs. After seeing her, the witness said he saw the city of Safford truck go by and heard a thud. The witness said he then saw that Medlin had been struck and the driver of the truck walking around in front.
Shortly after the collision, another vehicle pulled up to the scene. At that time, Bateman was already on his phone – but to his wife ( a nurse) and not 911. The second passerby then called 911 and went to assist Medlin. When law enforcement arrived, Bateman initially said Medlin’s headlight “caught his eye,” and he then saw her already lying on the ground, injured. He claimed he didn’t know who hit her and that he came upon her that way. He said he used her headlamp to search for more of Medlin’s belongings before placing it by her body and holding her hand. Bateman’s wife arrived at the scene and provided pressure to Medlin’s head to help with the bleeding.
Medlin was initially flown to a Tucson hospital for treatment of several broken ribs and multiple skull fractures, which has resulted in paralysis on the right side of her face, forcing her to manually blink her eye with her hand, and a loss of hearing in her right ear, among other injuries.
While Bateman declared he came upon Medlin already injured, authorities believed otherwise and moved to examine the city of Safford truck. In looking at the truck, it appeared to have a fresh, small crack in its grill. By the time investigators received a search warrant to examine the truck, however, it had already been used at a job site, and the fresh crack now had dirt in it. Authorities allege that Bateman intentionally placed dirt in the crack; however, he said it was just from everyday use at a job site.
As the investigation continued, authorities canvassed the area and located surveillance footage from a residential home on Center Street that faces 200 North from across a cotton field.
According to a Pima Police report, the zoomed-in image from the video surveillance shows Medlin reflecting off the truck’s headlights just before being struck. The truck’s brake light illuminated just before striking Medlin and then went off and back on after running her over.
The time of the collision was also recorded on Medlin’s running application, which showed her exact position along the shoulder when she was struck.
Online court records show Bateman was given a $10,000 bond that he posted after his initial appearance on April 1. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 17.
