Driver in deadly NKY police chase pleads guilty to murder

CAMPBELL COUNTY, Ky. (WXIX) - A man charged in connection with a deadly police chase from Cincinnati to Newport pleaded guilty to multiple charges in court on Monday.

Mason Meyer, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, two counts of wanton endangerment, fleeing or evading police and criminal mischief.

Cincinnati police released body camera footage showing that Meyer led the chase in July 2020 for 14-minutes. The pursuit started in Lower Price Hill, went through other parts of Cincinnati, and ended in Newport, KY.

Officers say that it ended when Meyer crashed into the patio of Press on Monmouth in Newport, killing Gayle and Raymond Laible.

Two others were seriously injured.

According to a federal indictment, Meyer was being chased in connection with drug and weapons activity in Newport.

Meyer and his passenger, Kirsten Johnson, had 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, two loaded handguns, and a loaded rifle with them during the chase, the indictment says.

When police tried to arrest Meyer, he took off, and the chase ended in the fatal crash.

Family members of the victims filed a lawsuit in August against Cincinnati police officers and the city for not breaking off the chase.

An attorney representing the Laible family released the following statement Monday:

“On behalf of the family, we are happy and relieved that Mason Meyer pled guilty to the charges today. This is only one step toward justice for the Laible family and friends, with Meyer’s sentencing still ahead, and as we seek accountability from the City of Cincinnati and its police officers for causing the high-speed pursuit in the first place.

The fact of the matter is that Cincinnati police started the chase of Mason Meyer in a dangerous and reckless way. It is true that Mason Meyer was the person behind the wheel who hit and killed Raymond and Gayle Laible, but also that Cincinnati police chased him when it was unnecessary and when it was an incredibly dangerous thing to do, and this caused the deaths of Raymond and Gayle Laible and the injuries to Mr. and Ms. Cline.

“The Cincinnati Police Department had several opportunities to stop this chase and they didn’t stop. During the chase, they violated Cincinnati police policies and failed to consider the danger they were creating to the community around them, and that is a hard fact.

“The Laible family will continue to reach for justice as Mason Meyers’ case and the case against the City and the officers both continue to move forward.”

In exchange for Meyer pleading guilty, the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss the charges of enhancement to trafficking in a controlled substance, two other wanton endangerment charges and a charge of a persistent felony offender.

Meyer will be sentenced on Nov. 23 at 9:45 a.m.

The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office is asking for the maximum sentence on all of the charges Meyer is facing.

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