Man arrested on charges of second-degree murder appears in court

The man arrested on charges of second-degree murder after a crash on H ighway 95 in May appeared in court Tuesday.

Fifty-four-year-old Jeff Cloud struck a motorcyclist head-on and was later taken into custody.

Cloud appeared for a final management conference and a change of plea.

The final management conference allows the judge and attorney to discuss progress on the case.

Because there was no new plea entered, his attorney requested a settlement conference.

During the settlement conference, the current plea agreement will be discussed.

That hearing is set for January.

ORIGINAL STORY: Man arrested in fatal crash on highway 95

A San Diego man has been arrested on a charge of second-degree murder after a man died in a crash that happened on Highway 95 near Fortuna Road on Monday.

Jeff Warner Cloud, 54, will return to court Thursday at 1 p.m. and has been held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.

According to the Department of Public Safety a traffic collision between a motorcycle and a Ford pickup truck occurred at 5:46 p.m. on State Route 95 near milepost 34.

Cloud was driving a Ford pickup southbound on Highway 95 when officers said he missed a curve in the road and drifted into the oncoming lane of traffic. As a result the pickup struck a motorcyclist head-on, being driven northbound by Byron D. McClure, who died at the scene from his injuries.

Cloud was taken into custody and booked into the Yuma County Jail, then charged with second-degree murder

DPS troopers informed Cloud that the county attorney’s office has two days to review the case and decide whether to file a criminal complaint, charging him with any offenses. If no criminal complaint is filed against him he will be released.

This story is developing and we will keep you updated with any new information.