Queen's Accident
1983 head-on collision in Yosemite National Park foothills involving a Secret Service vehicle scouting Queen Elizabeth II's motorcade route, killing three agents and revealing allegations of cover-up and corruption.
The Queen's Accident refers to a head-on collision that occurred on March 5, 1983, in the Yosemite National Park foothills, involving a Mariposa County Sheriff's vehicle and a Secret Service car. The accident took place while scouting Queen Elizabeth II's motorcade route, approximately 25 minutes ahead of her motorcade. Three Secret Service agents, George P. LaBarge, Donald Robinson, and Donald A. Bejcek, were killed in the collision. Mariposa County Sheriff's Sergeant Roderick Sinclair, who was driving, sustained broken ribs and a fractured knee, while his partner, Deputy Rod McKean, was also present.1
Circumstances and Cover-up Allegations
Allegations surfaced that Roderick Sinclair had been heavily drugged on the day of the accident, receiving large daily doses of Demerol prescribed by Dr. Arthur Dahlem. Nurses at Fremont Hospital, where Sinclair was initially treated, and some former deputies corroborated this. Assistant U.S. Attorney James White in Fresno attempted to investigate Sinclair's drug use, ordering Dahlem's files seized. However, U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Coyle intervened, ordering White to drop the criminal investigation, claiming Sinclair's drug problem was irrelevant and drug records inadmissible because no blood tests were taken at the hospital. Despite this, blood tests had been taken but later disappeared.1
In the subsequent civil trial, Judge Robert E. Coyle ruled both Sinclair and the deceased Secret Service agents at fault, ordering Mariposa County to pay 70 percent of the claim. Ironically, Sinclair was later promoted to Commander of the Mariposa Sheriff's Department. The original CHP report on the accident was reportedly sent to the State Attorney General's office (John Van de Kamp), who allegedly ordered it "discarded." Bruce Eckerson, the Mariposa County District Attorney who owned stock in MCA Entertainment Corporation, was then appointed to submit a new report. All CHP officers involved in the original investigation either resigned, were transferred, or fired, as did James White himself after the alleged cover-up.1
Deputy Rod Cusic stated he was "told by Roderick Sinclair to lie to a Grand Jury" about Sinclair's drug addiction and the accident, a disclosure he made to the Fresno FBI. Cusic also witnessed a booby-trapped incendiary device explode at Sinclair's home. A 1984 civil trial revealed Sinclair's vehicle contained "a myriad of automatic weapons including a booby-trapped bomb" at the time of the collision.1
Subsequent Investigations and Connections
Years later, a CBS television executive and Ron Williams, a Secret Service agent whose best friend was killed in the accident, sought Cheri Seymour's help to investigate the incident. Don Thrasher, a producer for ABC News 20/20, also investigated, corroborating details about Roderick Sinclair's background, including his father's military service under Douglas MacArthur and Sinclair's own alleged work in Army C.I.D.1
The Queen's Accident became a key element in the broader investigation into corruption in Mariposa County, as highlighted by Jerry Goldberg's reporting for Capitol News Service and the efforts of D.I.G..1
Sources
- Seymour, Cheri. The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. ↩
Local network
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