May 19, 2007 By Steve Barrett For The 2 min read

A West Newton man arrested on numerous charges following a fatal Greene County crash that occurred more than two years ago pleaded guilty to the charges Friday and was sentenced to serve 17 months to 7 1/2 years in jail. Brandon G. Detman, 25, pleaded guilty before Greene County President Judge H. Terry Grimes to seven total counts related to homicide by vehicle, two counts of DUI, recklessly endangering another person and seven summary vehicle code violations.

He was sentenced to serve 16 to 84 months for the homicide by vehicle charge and was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines.

The other six counts related to homicide by vehicle were merged for sentencing.

He also was sentenced to serve an additional 30 days to six months in jail for the DUI counts and was ordered to pay $750 in fines, plus attend driver improvement school.

All of the summary violations were merged with the homicide by vehicle charge for sentencing.

Detman was arraigned on Oct. 12, 2006, on numerous charges filed by state police following the fatal crash that resulted in the death of Daniel Server, 21, also of West Newton.

Police allege that Detman was under the influence of alcohol on Sept. 29, 2005, when he crashed his car while attempting to pass a tractor-trailer in a construction zone on Interstate 79. The crash killed Server, a passenger in his vehicle.

According to the criminal complaint, the fatal accident occurred at 3:20 a.m. 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 was lying dead 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 on to 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 at the time of the accident, 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.