Defendant Slated To Enter Plea In Hit-And-Run Case

 By Andrew Gorosko

A Sherman man, who has been charged by police with a felony in connection with a May motor vehicle accident, in which he allegedly fled the scene after his pickup truck struck a woman jogger, is scheduled to enter a plea in court in the case later this month.

Michael Williams, 32, of Sherman, is slated to enter a plea to a charge of evading responsibility with serious injury, when he appears in Danbury Superior Court on July 29. Mr Williams was arraigned in court on the charge on July 1. Mr Williams, who police arrested on a warrant on June 16, is free on $75,000 bond.

Police allege that while driving his pickup truck, Mr Williams, a self-employed carpenter, ran over and seriously injured Marianne Ryder, 43, of Dodgingtown about 5 pm on May 29 on Route 302 (Sugar Street), and then left the accident without stopping. Ms Ryder is recovering from multiple serious injuries. She was released from Danbury Hospital June 19, after spending three weeks there as a patient.

Ms Ryder was jogging eastward along the eastbound road shoulder of Route 302, about 2,000 feet east of Route 302’s intersection with Head O’ Meadow Road, when an eastbound red 1995 Ford pickup truck, allegedly driven by Mr Williams, struck Ms Ryder from behind. The area has a posted 40-mph speed limit. Weather conditions were clear. The road was dry.

Attorney Murray Kessler of New Milford, who represents Mr Williams, said July 10 that Mr Williams may or may not enter a plea in court on July 29, depending on the circumstances of the case.

In court on July 9, Mr Kessler argued procedural motions concerning evidentiary discovery and return of property on behalf of Mr Williams. Both motions were granted by a judge, Mr Kessler said.

Mr Kessler said much information remains to be gathered in the case.

“Not everything is known about that incident…We don’t have enough information…There’s a lot of open questions,” Mr Kessler said of the May 29 accident. Mr Kessler claimed witnesses to the incident provided police with conflicting testimony.

Mr Kessler said it is unclear if Mr Williams’ truck actually was involved in the accident.

“The fact that he [Williams] was arrested, doesn’t mean he was involved [in the accident],” Mr Kessler said.

The lawyer termed the incident “an unfortunate and tragic accident,” adding he hopes that Ms Ryder fully recovers from her injuries.

After the May 29 accident, police spent about four hours investigating at the scene, collecting much evidence there.

Based on witnesses’ information, at 1:30 pm on May 30, Newtown police executed a search-and-seizure warrant at 10 Blackberry Lane in Sherman, seizing the truck that they believe struck Ms Ryder the previous day. The truck’s right front grill and hood areas were damaged.

Police attempted to interview Mr Williams on May 30 but “he refused to answer any questions based on the advice of legal counsel,” according to the court papers.

On June 3, state police inspected the pickup truck for evidence of the accident. Police scraped a “bloodlike stain” from a mechanical part on the truck’s undercarriage, according to court papers. “Several pieces of evidence recovered from the accident scene were perfect matches to damage on the front grill area of the red Ford pickup,” the legal papers state.