Trooper could face charges in Ulster crash that killed 11-year-old Monica Goods

A grand jury will consider charging a state trooper for his role in a December 2020 crash that caused the death of Monica Goods, an 11-year-old Brooklyn girl killed after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 87 turned into a deadly chase.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, the special prosecutor in the case, will convene an Ulster County grand jury to see if Trooper Christopher Baldner will face charges related to the incident, according to an executive order signed Wednesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The document also revealed James' office has uncovered evidence showing Baldner was involved in two similar motor vehicle accidents while on duty on I-87, one in 2017 and another in 2019. Hochul's order made clear James' office can ask the grand jury to consider charges in those incidents, as well.

"(The) Attorney General will place the Goods Incident before an Ulster County Grand Jury and ask the grand jury to consider any and all appropriate charges against Trooper Baldner," the executive order reads, before also making clear James can seek charges in the two prior incidents. 

James' office declined to comment Thursday.

Trooper Baldner involved in similar incidents

Goods was killed on Dec. 22, 2020, in the town of Ulster after her father, Tristin Goods, was pulled over by Baldner. After an argument, a chase ensued. Police records and legal filings show Baldner struck the Dodge Journey driven by Goods' father from behind before it hit a guardrail and flipped. 

The executive order gave few details about the other two incidents, one of which occurred Jan. 26, 2017, and the other Sept. 6, 2019.

In the 2017 incident, Baldner's marked trooper vehicle was involved in a collision with a civilian vehicle with one person inside, according to Hochul's order. In the other, Baldner's marked car was involved in a crash with a car carrying three people. Both collisions happened in Ulster County, as did the wreck that killed Monica Goods.

The New York State Troopers PBA, which has been providing legal representation to Baldner, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday evening.

Beau Duffy, a spokesman for the New York State Police, said Baldner "is still on active duty but not on patrol." He declined further comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

Sanford Rubenstein, a lawyer for Good's mother, Michelle Surrency, said the mother “wants all those who are responsible for the loss of one child and the psychological and physical injuries of another child to be held accountable, both criminally and civilly.”

He noted Surrency has been “fully cooperating” with the attorney general’s investigation.

A trooper, a chase and the death of Monica Goods

The crash that killed Goods happened just before midnight on Dec. 22, a few days before Christmas.

A police statement, court records and news reports revealed the involvement of the trooper, the chase and the death of Monica Goods, the 11-year-old girl. But the intertwining parts of the deadly crash are the subject of an investigation by James.

A state police news release from Dec. 24 laid it out like this: Tristin Goods, 39, was driving on Interstate 87 in Ulster County when a trooper attempted to stop him for a traffic violation.

Not long after he stopped, Goods fled and the trooper pursued him. A collision occurred between the trooper's vehicle and Goods' Dodge SUV, after which Goods lost control and overturned, according to the release. Monica Goods, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene. Tristin Goods was treated for injuries, first at Kingston Hospital before being transported to Westchester Medical Center.

The police statement, however, did not mention plenty of relevant details that were soon to come out. A state police spokesman said press releases only include information believed to be factual and substantiated at the time they are issued.

The Goods family has laid out its side of the story in a pair of court filings, one filed by Tristin Goods and the other by Monica Goods' mother.

Tristin Goods told the New York Daily News he and Baldner got into an argument during the traffic stop before the deadly December. He asked for a supervisor to be on the scene.

The trooper, he said, demanded to know if there were “guns or drugs” inside the vehicle. After going back to his squad car, Baldner returned and used pepper spray inside Goods' SUV, according to Goods. 

Along with Tristin and Monica Goods, two other people were in the car, including his 12-year-old daughter Tristina.

In an interview with the New York Daily News, Tristin Goods said he feared for his safety and fled. “I was like, ‘Holy s--t, this guy is going to kill me now,’” he said.

That's when Baldner pursued the Goods and hit their vehicle from behind twice before the wreck that caused the young girl’s death, according to the Goods family. 

Includes reporting by New York State Team editor Jon Campbell and Poughkeepsie Journal reporter Saba Ali. 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith covers race and justice for the USA TODAY Network of New York. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter @T_Cusaac.