A Clarion man is facing homicide by vehicle and other charges in connection with a fatal accident in May that killed a Turkey City man who was inside an animal pen.
Mitchel Allen Davenport, 23, has been charged with four felonies in the death of Jerrold E. Dehart, 39. Those charges include homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault and aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI.
A criminal complaint filed by Clarion state police trooper John Dubovi says Dubovi was dispatched to the intersection of Route 338 and Ritts Farm Road in Richland Township, Clarion County, at 11:24 p.m. on May 4.
Tire tracks had gone through the grass in the yard and the animal pen before the Silverado became stuck in the mud, the complaint said.
Dubovi said he saw a man in the back of an ambulance departing for Clarion Hospital. Dubovi said an EMT told him the man, later identified as Dehart, was found in the debris of the animal pen.
Dehart, a 1997 Keystone High School graduate, was pronounced dead a short time later at Clarion Hospital due to trauma to the head, neck and torso.
Dubovi said a man, later identified as Davenport, approached him at the scene and told him he was the driver of the Silverado. Davenport was identified via a suspended driver’s license, according to the complaint.
The complaint says Davenport told Dubovi he was traveling from a bar where he had “several shots of liquor” before leaving. A passenger in Davenport’s vehicle, Tabitha D. Walker, told the trooper Davenport was driving her home because he “was the more sober of the two.”
Walker owned the vehicle, the complaint said.
The vehicle also struck a second pedestrian. Heather M. Haynos told police she and Dehart were inside the animal pen when the Silverado hit them, the complaint said..
Haynos suffered serious injuries to her leg and head, according to the complaint.
The truck continued south and struck Haynos, then became stuck in the mud, the complaint said. Tire marks indicated Davenport was trying to get the vehicle out of the mud after becoming stuck, according to the complaint.
Davenport was given a field sobriety test, and he showed signs of impairment, the complaint said. His blood alcohol level was 0.176 percent, more than twice the legal limit, according to the complaint.
The charges against Davenport, who is also facing several misdemeanors and numerous summary offenses, were filed Tuesday before district judge Amy Long Turk.
A preliminary hearing hasn’t been scheduled.