POTTSVILLE, PA — All 11 criminal charges against commercial truck driver Michael Bon were held for court following a preliminary hearing in Schuylkill County.
Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli ruled that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to send the case to trial following two hours of testimony. The 33-year-old Haitian national entered a plea of not guilty through an interpreter.
The charges stem from a July 1 crash on Interstate 81 that killed 44-year-old Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Michael Pahira Jr.. Six witnesses testified during the proceeding, including bystanders who recounted chaotic attempts to pull Pahira from the burning wreckage.
Trooper Pahira was conducting a routine commercial vehicle safety inspection along the shoulder of I-81 when Bon’s southbound tractor-trailer veered off the roadway. The rig clipped Pahira's parked patrol vehicle and struck the stopped commercial truck, pinning Pahira underneath.
Prosecutors argued that Bon acted with gross negligence. Defense attorney John Waldron contended the crash was an unavoidable medical emergency, stating that Bon has a history of medical seizures in Haiti and may have suffered an involuntary episode behind the wheel.
Bon faces charges including homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, and recklessly endangering another person. A formal trial date has not yet been set. He remains held at the Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $700,000 bail.
