A continuance of a preliminary hearing has been granted for the Massachusetts man accused of vehicular homicide in the death of State Trooper Michael Pahira.
Michael Bon, 33, of Brockton, Mass., is being held at Schuylkill County Prison on $700,000 bail following his arraignment hours after the roadside incident that caused Pahira’s death. He faces multiple charges in connection with the crash, including felony homicide by vehicle, felony aggravated assault by vehicle, and involuntary manslaughter. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also lodged a detainer for Bon but he’s expected to face charges locally.
Bon is also charged with two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and several summary traffic violations, including reckless driving and careless driving resulting in unintentional death.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled to occur Wednesday afternoon before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli. The hearing was relocated to Courtroom 1 at Schuylkill County Courthouse due to the expected number of interested parties attending.
However, court records show Bon has retained private counsel – John Waldron, of Law Offices Of Waldron & Williams in Allentown – and a continuance was granted until Aug. 26. The hearing will still be held at the Courthouse in Pottsville.
At a preliminary hearing, the Commonwealth need only establish a prima facie case – sufficient evidence to show that a crime was committed and that the defendant probably committed it – not proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
State Police allege Bon was driving a tractor-trailer south on I-81 around 7 a.m. on July 1 when he veered onto the right shoulder in Butler Township. Investigators say Bon’s truck struck Pahira’s marked patrol vehicle, which had its emergency lights activated, and a second commercial truck pulled over for a safety inspection.
The collision struck Pahira, of Ashland, who was standing alongside the parked truck, pinning him beneath the front bumper of the vehicle Bon was operating, police say. Pahira was pronounced dead at a Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pottsville later that morning.
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