A Massachusetts plow driver pleaded not guilty Thursday to manslaughter charges in the death of a 60-year-old Whole Foods employee last year.
Kevin Medeiros, 42, of Fall River, was arraigned Thursday in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn.
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Prosecutors say Medeiros struck and killed Cesar Moya-Padilla - a father of eight from Honduras - while clearing the parking lot of Bread & Circus Bakehouse, a Whole Foods property in Medford, on Feb. 9, 2015.
Moya-Padilla, of Chelsea, was leaving work around 1:30 p.m. when he was struck by a private contract plow driven by Medeiros that was clearing the parking lot. Moya-Padilla was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where he died from his injuries. Prosecutors say Medeiros had been smoking marijuana before the fatal accident.
"My dad was a really good person, good worker, hard worker, very smart, and only because someone who did not have control of their impulses and did what they did - that's not right," Moya-Padilla's daughter, Jenny, told necn.
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Medeiros - who was working for Yerardi Landscape and Design out of Medfield - has a history of driving violations. He has been cited for illegal operation, speeding, failure to stop and driving to endanger.
No charges were filed immediately after last year's crash. Police said at the time that the plow accident was believed to be accidental, as a result of the snowy conditions.
