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Bethel Police Release Report On Kadri Limani Car Accident

Three months ago, off-duty Bethel Police Sergeant Kadri Limani struck two people with his car in the middle of the night. That collision injured one pedestrian and led to the death of another. The police investigated, and finally released their report last week.

For the most part, the report confirms what we already know. On the night of April 22, Sgt. Limani was driving a friend to work. Julia Stevens and Elia Anderson were out buying cigarettes and at 11:30 p.m., Limani hit both of them with his white Ford Taurus as they crossed the highway. The collision injured both Anderson and Stevens, who died several days later in an Anchorage hospital.

In the Police Department’s report, no one in this accident was found to be at fault.

"There are no criminal charges," said Bethel Police Spokesperson Natalie Hayes. "There’s not enough evidence to show wrongdoing for anybody involved."

Hayes said that the Police Department decided collectively to release the report. It states that Limani was driving the speed limit and wasn’t distracted. He took a Breathalyzer test and wasn’t intoxicated. When Officer Joseph Corbett arrived at the scene, the report says that he found Limani at Julia Stevens’ side, administering CPR.

The report doesn’t blame Stevens or Anderson for the accident. Anderson told the police he had been drinking, but that Stevens was “good.” Neither of them took a Breathalyzer test at the time. The report also states that Anderson and Stevens were jaywalking at the time of the accident, but Anderson told officers that they looked both ways before they crossed the street, waiting for the headlights of speeding cars to pass.

We reached out to Limani and Anderson, but neither of them responded to our requests for comment in time to incorporate into this article. According to Police Spokesperson Hayes, the department decided to release their report in the spirit of transparency.

Due to the Bethel PD’s potential conflict of interest in this case, the State Troopers are reviewing the investigation and will produce an assessment of their own. Hayes says that she has followed up with the Troopers multiple times, but that their report has yet to be released.

You can download the full report from the Bethel Police Department here and here. Our reporting on this accident is ongoing.