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BELLEFONTE -- A Howard man has been charged in a fatal pedestrian crash that took place last summer in Bellefonte.
Earlier this week, state police at Rockview charged Brandon Scot Dietz, 36, of Howard, of hitting Stephanie Wilson with his 2007 Dodge Ram pickup truck last July. The crash took place around 8 a.m. on July 22, 2020 near the intersection of West High Street and North Allegheny Street in the borough. According to police, Dietz fled the scene following the crash.
Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers ruled Wilson's death accidental. Dietz had not been charged -- until now.
He is charged with an accident involving death, which is a second-degree felony. Dietz also faces a total of five summary charges.
According to the criminal complaint, a witness said she saw a red truck hit Wilson. Following the crash, a woman contacted police on behalf of Dietz. He met with police at a private residence in Bellefonte.
The complaint said that Deitz stopped his truck on West High Street after the crash. It said that he "attempted to give aid, but became 'scared and nervous' so he left the scene." According to police, he then went to a nearby residence. There, he made the request that the woman at the residence call 911.
He told investigators he did not see Wilson when he struck her. He said he did not feel an impact but that he saw her to the left of his truck as he drove by where she was lying on the road, according to the complaint.
An accident reconstruction concluded that Deitz was driving 22 to 23 miles per hour when he struck Wilson, police said. The reconstruction also allegedly found that bandanas hanging from the rearview mirror partially obstructed the view through the windshield and that Wilson may not have been visible to Deitz as she walked into the path of the vehicle.
The reconstruction also concluded that Deitz applied the brakes and brought the truck to an almost immediate stop upon impact.
Deitz was arraigned on Monday before District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker. Unsecured bail was set at $50,000.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14.