A New Kensington man will stand trial on a vehicular homicide charge stemming from a fatal crash in July.
Police allege Dylan Joseph Rockwell, 20, of 711 Camp Ave., New Kensington, was driving a pickup along Route 366 in Washington Township that crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a motorcycle driven by Charles Beatty “Cheese” Sloan Jr., 41, of Latrobe.
The collision happened just before 7 a.m. July 22. Sloan was pronounced dead at the scene.
In February, Rockwell was charged with homicide by vehicle, driving on the wrong side of the road and crossing double yellow lines in a no-passing zone.
At a hearing Monday, Trooper Steven Siko, an accident reconstruction specialist with the state police, testified that Rockwell's truck was traveling at 62 miles per hour when its airbags deployed.
Siko testified the crash area is on a flat roadway in a no-passing zone with a 45 mph speed limit. There were no potholes in the asphalt, and it was daylight.
Washington Township police Sgt. Vincent Surace testified Rockwell told him at the scene that “he may have fallen asleep” while driving.
Under cross-examination, Surace agreed with defense attorney Duke George that Rockwell's admission could have come from a man who “may have had a head injury and who was in shock.”
George did not call any defense witnesses, saying he would wait for trial to present evidence in Rockwell's defense.
District Judge Jason Buczak held all charges to court against Rockwell. He remains free in lieu of $100,000 unsecured bond pending trial.
Chuck Biedka is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4711 or at cbiedka@tribweb.com.
