Preliminary hearing in fatal crash case continued
A preliminary hearing scheduled Thursday for a 24-year-old West Newton man charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in a fatal Greene County crash in September 2005 has been continued until further notice. Brandon G. Detman was arraigned Oct. 12 on numerous charges, including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, in the death of Daniel Server, 21, also of West Newton.
Police allege that Detman was under the influence of alcohol in September 2005 when he crashed his car while attempting to pass a tractor-trailer in a construction zone on Interstate 79 in Greene County and killed Server, a passenger.
Detman was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Glenn Bates and was released on $50,000 unsecured bail.
His preliminary hearing was to be held Thursday before Bates. However, Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox confirmed Wednesday that Detman’s hearing had been continued because of the unavailability of a witness. No other information was available.
The new date for the preliminary hearing was not known by press time.
According to the criminal complaint, the fatal accident occurred at 3:20 a.m. Sept. 29, 2005, on the northbound side of the highway in Whiteley Township.
The right lane was closed because of construction.
Police said Detman was outside of his 1996 Chevrolet Camaro, which had heavy damage to the passenger side, and Server’s body was lying on the ground when troopers arrived at the scene.
Two drivers who witnessed the accident were interviewed at the scene, police said,
One male driver told police that the Camaro used the closed right lane to pass him, police said.
He said that the driver of the Camaro then traveled onto the berm to the left of the highway and attempted to pass the truck, police said.
The truck driver reported that a Camaro tried to pass him on the left berm, but the car spun and hit a guardrail, police said.
Detman’s blood-alcohol level was .143 percent, police said.
Under state law, a driver with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent is considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol.
The other charges filed against Detman are homicide by vehicle, DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, recklessly endangering another person and seven summary Vehicle Code violations.