NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An off-duty Tennessee officer who hit a Belmont University graduate student riding a bicycle while driving in September faces two misdemeanors in connection to her death.
Donald Mashburn, 46, of Maryville, Tennessee, received two state misdemeanor citations on Nov. 10. He was cited for failing to yield the right of way involving death, and failing to exercise due care, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
Mashburn is on paid administrative leave from the Pigeon Forge Police Department. He has been employed there since 2002, and Richard Catlett, the chief of police there, said he will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of his two charges. The District Attorney's Office in Nashville determined they were appropriate charges, MNPD said on Friday.
He said immediately after the crash, Mashburn notified his supervisor who later told him that Alyssa Milligan, 23, was killed in it. He was riding with another cyclist on Highway 100, police said.
“He’s really having a hard go with this,” Catlett said. “It’s a bad deal. It’s a horrible accident, but (Mashburn) also understands that there’s a family out there that’s lost a loved one that he’s directly responsible for.”
Mashburn reportedly saw her on the right side of the road before trying to change lanes. Police said Mashburn looked over his shoulder and Milligan "was suddenly in front of him."
She was thrown off her bike and taken to the hospital, where she died. Milligan was a graduate of Wheaton College and pursuing a doctorate degree in physical therapy from Belmont University.
Mashburn is expected in court in February.