W.Va. man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in fatal Greene County crash
news@greenecountymessenger.com
A West Virginia man involved in a fatal crash nearly three years ago in Greene County pleaded guilty last week to involuntary manslaughter.
Robert Hadley Wyckoff pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge Feb. 28 in Greene County Court before President Judge Lou Dayich, and he will be sentenced at a later date.
Wyckoff, 39, of Grafton, was driving on Route 21 in Gray Township shortly before midnight Sept. 19, 2020, when he crossed the centerline and struck a vehicle driven by Brian K. Crile.
Crile, 53, of Jefferson, died at the scene, while Wyckoff was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., for treatment.
State police charged Wyckoff with driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle while DUI and homicide by vehicle in March 2021 nearly six months after the crash. However, Dayich dismissed the DUI and homicide by vehicle while DUI charges during a pre-trial hearing last July.
Greene County District Attorney David Russo said they agreed to the plea on the misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter after consulting the victim’s family with hopes it “would bring closure in their lives.”
Wyckoff also pleaded to several summary offenses during his hearing last week. It was not clear what sentence Wyckoff might face as part of his plea deal. His defense attorney, Michael Sherman, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment on the case.