Operator of thrill ride in 2013 NC fair mishap pleads guilty

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The man at the controls of a thrill ride when it malfunctioned during the 2013 North Carolina State Fair has admitted to tampering with safety equipment intended to prevent such a mishap.

Timothy Dwayne Tutterrow of Quitman, Georgia, pleaded guilty Monday in Wake County Superior Court to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Three members of a Raleigh family were seriously injured on Oct. 24, 2103, when The Vortex ride suddenly lurched into motion as patrons were trying to exit.

Tutterow is expected to testify against ride owner Joshua Gene Macaroni, who is also charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors say Macaroni and Tutterrow bypassed a key switch on The Vortex to keep it operating.

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