Area man, charged with vehicular homicide, waives right to hearing
MASONTOWN – James Clifford Snyder, 53, of Uledi waived his right to a preliminary hearing on homicide by vehicle and other charges filed in connection with a four-vehicle accident May 13 on Route 21 that claimed the life of 30-year-old Jay H. VanMeter III. The hearing was scheduled for Monday before District Justice Brenda Cavalcante. The case will be forwarded to Common Pleas Court.
Snyder, who was represented by assistant public defender Susan Ritz Harper, was remanded to the Fayette County Prison in lieu of $100,000 straight cash bond.
Fayette County District Attorney Nancy Vernon was set to prosecute the case with State Trooper Erik L. Friend and Cpl. Joseph D’Andrea, an accident reconstruction specialist. Several witnesses were also in Cavalcante’s office.
Along with homicide by vehicle, police charged Snyder with several counts of accidents involving death or personal injury, including one count for driving while his license was suspended for driving under the influence and another for leaving the accident scene.
According to his affidavit of probable cause, Friend was dispatched to the accident near Old McClellandtown Road at 3:48 p.m. and found three disabled vehicles on Route 21 when he arrived two minutes later.
He said he determined that a fourth vehicle was involved and a Dodge hood emblem from it was at the scene.
One of the three other drivers, Steven A. Weimer, 31, of Confluence reported that a white car that was closely following him hit him. Both were traveling west.
Weimer said he then lost control and swerved into the eastbound lane and struck VanMeter’s vehicle.
Thomas K. Lingenfield, 20 of Dilliner was a passenger in VanMeter’s pick up truck and suffered broken pelvis.
Janet L. Miner, 58, of Leckrone struck Weimer’s vehicle, pushing it into VanMeter’s rear bumper, police said.
A witness told police that a white Dodge sedan drove around Weimer’s vehicle after the collision and proceeded east on Route 21.
A short time later, Dixie Lint of Uledi called and reported that her white Dodge Intrepid had been involved in an accident and had severe front-end damage. She said her boyfriend, Snyder, was not there, but the car keys were.
She also told police she had been gone for about two hours and the car, which she bought the day before, was not damaged when she left.
Snyder was arrested May 14 and provided police with a written statement. In it, he said he struck Weimer’s truck and fled because he was scared and did not have a valid license, according to the affidavit.