subscriber servicessubscribecontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Mon, Jul 06 2009 

Published: August 12, 2008 12:24 am    print this story   comment on this story  

Arrest made in death of Good Samaritan

Morgantown man is charged for 2007 accident

By Bill Byrd
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT State Police have arrested a Morgantown man in connection with the death last year of a Marion County man who was being a Good Samaritan at an Interstate 79 accident.

Roscoe E. Stewart, 29, of 1104 Lakeside Village is charged with drunken driving resulting in death “without recklessness” and first-offense drunken driving. Stewart is also charged with third-offense driving on a suspended license.

Stewart was arrested last Friday, just one day short of a year since the Aug. 9, 2007, accident that killed Jonathan Wilson, 31, of Barrackville. The three offenses Stewart is charged with are misdemeanors, subject to a one-year statute of limitations.

The accident happened around 3:50 a.m. that Thursday near the 145 mile marker and a bridge in the southbound lanes of the interstate, said Trooper S.R. Morgan of the Morgantown detachment in his complaint.

According to the trooper’s criminal complaint, Wilson had gotten out of his car to help Stewart.

Stewart’s vehicle was stopped in the left-hand, or passing lane. Stewart had “crashed his vehicle on the interstate,” the complaint states.

While Wilson was trying to help Stewart, he was struck by a car behind him that was also traveling south.

“While the pedestrian (Wilson) was attempting to help the defendant, Vehicle No. 2 was traveling south on I-79 in the left, fast lane and did not observe Vehicle No. 1,” the complaint states.

“Ultimately, Vehicle No. 2 struck Vehicle No. 1, which caused the pedestrian (Wilson) to fall from the bridge down onto Tom’s Run Road,” it states.

State Police at the time identified the driver of the second vehicle as a Louis Smith. Smith’s age and residence were unavailable at the time.

Stewart had a blood alcohol content of .133, according to medical records Tpr. Morgan later got from the hospital.

Wilson was pronounced dead at Ruby Memorial Hospital.

Davey Blair, Wilson’s next-door neighbor in Barrackville and a friend since both men were 16, said later that day that Wilson and a co-worker were driving home from their jobs at the Fort Martin power plant.

Blair said Wilson’s decision to stop and be a Good Samaritan was a lifelong trait.

“That’s what God used him for, random acts of kindness — always,” Blair said in a Times West Virginian story last year.

State Police apparently did not file charges against the driver of the second vehicle in the accident.

Reporters on Monday were referred to Monongalia County Prosecutor Marcia Ashdown’s office. Ashdown is on vacation this week, a secretary said.

Stewart is being held in the North Central Regional Jail. A Monongalia County magistrate set his bonds at $5,000 cash or surety each on the drunken driving charge and the third-offense driving on a suspended license charge.

Stewart’s bond on the drunken driving resulting in death without recklessness charge is $15,000 cash or surety, according to court records.

E-mail Bill Byrd at bbyrd@timeswv.com.

print this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



Zillow
monster
autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Concrete Dispatcher.
Local company has position open for Concrete Dispatcher. Position requires direct communication skills with customers an...>MORE

Maintenance person
Maintenance person needed for youth residential facility located in Fairmont. Must have high school diploma or equivalen...>MORE

Dominion Post
ATTENTION GOSS
URBANITE PRESS
OPERATORS!
Full time positions available for newspaper offset personnel
...>MORE

Early Learning Center Supervisor
Early Learning Center Supervisor - Supervisor needed to direct all activities and operations, including regulatory, budg...>MORE

Repair & Maintenance
 GMS Mine Repair & Maintenance 
 has an immediate opening for a 
 UNDERGROUND BELT COORDINATOR 
 Must be
...>MORE

Orthodontic Assistant
ORTHODONTIC ASSISTANT NEEDED to become part of WV’s largest and best dental team. Earn top pay plus Bonus. Experience pr...>MORE

Head Start Teacher - Taylor Co.
Head Start Teacher - Taylor Co. 10 mos. benefits, Criminal background check req. Minimum of Associate Early Childhood re...>MORE

Kings Jewelry
Part Time Sale Position
Kings Jewelry in Meadowbrook Mall, is seeking
part time sales Associates.
Res
...>MORE

Residence Director
Fairmont State University is seeking to fill the full time position of Residence Director.  Please apply online at www.f...>MORE

LPN / RN
WVU Cheat Lake
Physicians, a service of WVU Hospitals, has a full-time position for a
Licensed Practical Nur
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index