Rices Landing man pleads guilty to lesser charges in 2019 crash that killed friend
A Rices Landing man who was driving under the influence when he crashed his vehicle in Cumberland Township more than four years ago, killing a passenger in his truck, pleaded guilty last week to lesser charges.
Thomas Casey Wilson had been facing a homicide by vehicle while DUI and other felony charges in connection with the 2019 crash that killed his friend, but a plea agreement was reached just before trial after his blood-alcohol level was barred from being presented as evidence and prosecutors spoke to the victim’s family about resolving the case.
Wilson, 24, pleaded guilty Sept. 20 in Greene County Court of Common Pleas to misdemeanor charges of involuntary manslaughter, accident involving death and driving under the influence with general impairment, along with several summary offenses. Following the plea, he was immediately sentenced by President Judge Lou Dayich to serve two to four months in jail.
Cumberland Township police said Wilson and friends had been at a house party in the early hours of July 7, 2019, when they left with him driving the vehicle. Police said Wilson was intoxicated when he crashed the truck into a parked car and telephone pole on Nemacolin Road, killing 20-year-old Landen Watters of Rices Landing, who was one of the passengers in the vehicle.
Wilson was located at his home nearly four hours later, and he was taken to an area hospital for blood tests. The results showed he had a blood-alcohol level of .136%, which is nearly twice the legal limit to drive a vehicle and significantly higher for underage motorists since he was only 20 years old at the time.
However, defense attorney Sean Logue argued before trial that the length of time between the crash and the testing made the results unreliable. Dayich agreed and decided that the blood-alcohol results could not be presented as evidence if the case had gone to trial. Logue said the plea deal was beneficial for both sides to be able to move on.
“It was a horrible tragedy all the way around and Mr. Wilson was friends with the decedent,” Logue said Tuesday. “There are no winners in this case, but we believe the outcome was just on all sides and we appreciate working with Assistant District Attorney (Roy) Cross.”
Cross, who prosecuted the case, said Tuesday that although the BAC was not admissible, Wilson still pleaded guilty to driving under the influence through general impairment. He added that witnesses previously gave “inconsistent statements” about who was driving the truck at the time of the crash, which would have made the case difficult to prove, although Wilson admitted during his plea hearing that he was behind the wheel. Cross said he spoke with Watters’ family and they agreed to move forward with the plea deal before the trial, which was scheduled for last week.
Wilson is expected to report to the Greene County jail on Oct. 16 to serve his sentence, according to online court records. After his release, he will serve two years on probation and must perform 40 hours of community service.