Man charged in students’ death ordered to stand trial

In this Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, file photo, emergency crews respond to a scene where a vehicle hit several Moore High School students in Moore, Okla. (Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman via AP, File)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma man has been ordered to stand trial on murder charges in the deaths of three members of a high school cross-country team and injuring of five others in suburban Oklahoma City.

After more than seven hours of testimony on Friday, a Cleveland County District Court judge found there was enough evidence for prosecutors to try 57-year-old Max Leroy Townsend, of Tuttle, on three counts of second-degree murder and charges of leaving the scene of an accident.

Prosecutors say Townsend drove his pickup truck more than 80 mph and crossed two lanes of traffic before crashing into the Moore High School runners as they ran along a sidewalk. His adult son had died in a traffic crash the day before.