Trucker Gets 7 Years for Chase Fatal to S.D. Man

A Denver trucker who led police on a four-county chase that resulted in the death of his hitchhiker passenger from San Diego has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to traffic violations and assault charges.

Klaus Kirk, 38, also was ordered not to drive a commercial vehicle for 15 years, according to his lawyer, Raymond Majors of Hinesville.

Kirk was scheduled to go on trial Thursday in Liberty County Superior Court on charges of aggravated assault, attempting to elude a police officer and reckless driving. He pleaded guilty to the charges Monday and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge David Cavender.

The 50-mile chase on Interstate 95 ended in Bryan County on April 26 after police fired into the cab of the speeding truck, wounding Kirk and fatally injuring hitchhiker Mark Charles Nanz, 29, of San Diego.

Majors called the guilty plea “a good decision.” He noted that video cameras mounted on police cars made a thorough record of the chase, and added, “The evidence against him is overwhelming.”

During the pursuit, Kirk allegedly swerved to try to hit Georgia State Patrol Trooper Rupert Wiley, who was aiming a shotgun at the front tires of Kirk’s truck. The aggravated-assault charge stemmed from that incident.

Kirk said he had swerved to avoid hitting the trooper’s car.

The chase began just before dusk April 26 as Kirk was traveling north on the interstate. Motorists reported to police that the tractor-trailer was swerving across both lanes of the highway.

After the truck was stopped, Kirk and Nanz reportedly were taken from the cab, thrown to the ground, kicked and beaten. Two deputies from McIntosh County and one from Liberty County were suspended and indicted on simple battery charges.