Plea rejected for man charged in fatal crash
A Fayette County judge refused to accept a plea from a Merrittstown man who police say struck and killed a Uniontown woman while driving intoxicated in Redstone Township last year after he testified that he did not read the plea agreement.
In January, Donald William Lowther said he didn’t mean to kill Kelly Branson, 21, and was sorry for his actions. The following month he waived all charges against him to Fayette County Court.
This afternoon, Lowther attempted to plead guilty to the charges and accept a plea agreement offered by District Attorney Jack R. Heneks Jr. that calls for a state prison sentence of 5-10 years, however President Judge Gerald R. Solomon refused to accept Lowther’s plea after learning that Lowther cannot read or write and had not been read the agreement prior to Friday’s proceeding.
For full details, read Sunday’s HeraldStandard.com.