Man accused of killing NY State Trooper Christopher Skinner with pickup truck blames 'time warp'

BROOME COUNTY, N.Y., May 30 (UPI) -- A man who is accused of intentionally using his pickup truck to fatally strike a New York state trooper has blamed a "time warp" for the crash.

Almond Upton has been charged with first-degree murder for purposefully hitting trooper Christopher Skinner with his truck while he was conducting a traffic stop on I-81 on Thursday.

"I was two miles from the Connecticut border, and all of a sudden I'm in New York, Binghamton, New York, and this cop got killed, I don't know how it happened," Upton told reporters after his court appearance. "It had to be a time warp. Honestly I'm not [expletive]. I have proofs in Connecticut. The time warp (or) something had to happen."

Although it does not sound as if the 60-year-old was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the crash occurred, he does have a prior DWI conviction in Florida from 2008. He was found naked in the woods after the crash.

According to police, Upton struck two other cars before hitting Skinner, 42.

When he was arrested, Upton told police he was on the way to visit his mother in Connecticut.