DA: Police Not at Fault for Death of Pennsylvania Man During Search

Berks County District Attorney John Adams has concluded that the death of 51-year-old Gregory Longenecker as he fled police into a thicket of tall grass was his own fault, not the fault of the police who were chasing him.

Following a nearly two-month-long investigation into the incident, Adams concluded that the man had crawled under the bulldozer that ended up crushing him.

Bernville police Chief Brian Thumm and a Pennsylvania Game Commission employee had discovered Longenecker—and his friend David Light—in the vicinity of a marijuana-growing operation enclosed by chicken wire in a hidden clearing, according to the Reading Eagle .

Light surrendered, but Longenecker fled.

"We can only guess he crawled under the back of the bulldozer to avoid detection," Adams said.

Toxicology tests found Longenecker had methadone, methamphetamine and cannabis in his system at the time of his death. The levels of methadone and methamphetamine were almost toxic, Adams said.