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Man Faces More Charges for Deadly Hit & Run
Man Faces More Charges for Deadly Hit & Run - Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 8:15PM EST
Reported by: Eric Deabill
Thursday, Sep 17, 2009 @ 08:15pm EDT
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - A Lackawanna County man is facing new charges after a deadly hit and run accident. Alfred Atsus was in court Thursday morning.
The 33-year-old left the courthouse silently after the charges against him were increased. The Moscow man now faces charges of homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter. He was originally only facing DUI charges.
Investigators say Atsus caused a deadly wreck at the intersection of Routes 307 and 690 in Spring Brook Township on September 9th.
"His blood alcohol level was at .23 at just before 6:00 AM in the morning, which even compounds the situation," assistant district attorney Corey Kolcharno said.
Matthew Garofalo, 54, of Lake Ariel died hours after the accident. Prosecutors say Atsus never stopped to help him and simply took off. They wanted his bail increased after the new charges were filed. That request was denied.
"I believe that bail should have been increased. I think there's an incentive for this individual to flee, but more importantly, I think he's a danger to the community," Kolcharno said.
According to court papers, Atsus ran a red light and hit the victim's car pushing it into a utility pole. The court papers also say Atsus is the co-owner of Bongo's Bar in Scranton and may have had 11 drinks the night before the crash.
If convicted, Atsus faces a lengthy prison term.
"The homicide by motor vehicle charge carries a mandatory minimum of three years," Kolcharno said.
Atsus is no stranger to the law. He also ahd a prior DUI arrest in 1999. He also faced charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct in 1998. He's expected back in court later this month. | |
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