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Craig man not guilty in 2010 pedestrian fatality

Joe Moylan

Quotable:

“This was a terribly sad and tragic accident, but it was never a crime. I feel for the Bliss family, we all do, including Tony, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was an accident.”

— Darren Cantor, a Denver attorney who represented Craig man Nicholas Peroulis during a jury trial this week in Moffat County Court

Quotable:

“This was a terribly sad and tragic accident, but it was never a crime. I feel for the Bliss family, we all do, including Tony, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was an accident.”

— Darren Cantor, a Denver attorney who represented Craig man Nicholas Peroulis during a jury trial this week in Moffat County Court

A jury returned from deliberations Thursday night with a not guilty verdict in the case of a Craig man on trial in Moffat County Court for the 2010 death of a pedestrian.



Nicholas Anthony Peroulis, owner of Peroulis Brothers trucking company, was charged in county court with one count of careless driving resulting in death, a misdemeanor.

His trial began Wednesday and ended Thursday night. The jury began deliberating about 6:10 p.m., and returned with the verdict in less than 30 minutes, according to court records.



Peroulis was driving a wide-load tractor-trailer westbound on U.S. Highway 40 for Utah in the early morning hours of Dec. 28, 2010.

His vehicle struck Craig resident Justin Dean Bliss, 34, who was walking on the side of the highway, near the Black Nugget Motel.

First responders tried to revive Bliss, but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at approximately 5:37 a.m. at The Memorial Hospital in Craig.

Denver attorney Darren Cantor represented Peroulis in the jury trial.

“This was a terribly sad and tragic accident, but it was never a crime,” Cantor said. “I feel for the Bliss family, we all do, including Tony, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was an accident.”

Matthew Tjosvold, a deputy district attorney in Moffat County, prosecuted the case for the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Tjosvold declined to comment on the case, citing ethical responsibilities.

Cantor said the Bliss family attended the trial. However, no one from the family could be reached for comment Friday.

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