Jul 29, 2015 2 min read

A Beaver County man charged in a crash last October that killed a Bethel Park woman on Route 18 in Hanover Township waived his case to court Wednesday.

William J. Lee, 32, of Georgetown, was charged by Hanover police with homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, failure to obey traffic control devices and failure to stop at a stop sign in the Oct. 5 crash that killed 50-year-old Kimberly Darges.

Darges was riding her motorcycle on Route 18 near the intersection of McCutcheon Road when she was reportedly struck by a vehicle driven by Lee. Darges was on the ground when police arrived with two people performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her, according to documents filed by the arresting officer at the office of District Judge Gary Havelka.

Darges was taken to Weirton (W.Va.) Medical Center for treatment. Police were still on the scene of the crash when they received word Darges died of her injuries at the hospital.

District Judge Jay Weller, who presided over the hearing in Central Court, told Lee the prosecution has a low burden of proof at a preliminary hearing. He told him he was not waiving his rights or admitting guilt by waiving the case.

Defense attorney Phillip DiLucente told the court the prosecution provided him with a copy of the state police accident reconstruction report.

Lee was released on his own recognizance. The charges were sent to him by summons from Havelka’s office.