ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A Leicester man has pleaded guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with a crash on Sherry Lane last year, when he was accused of cutting off a motorcyclist who was trying to pass his car, resulting in rider’s death, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office reported.
Jonathan Dylan Ray, 21, pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter on Monday in Asheville, and visiting Superior Court Judge Nathaniel Poovey sentenced him to serve an active split sentence of 180 days in custody, pay $3,360 in costs and $7,392 in restitution, the office said in a release.
Under the sentencing, Ray will be placed on 48 months of supervised probation after his time in custody, and has a suspended sentence of 16 to 29 months. He must surrender his driver’s license and will not be able to drive for 12 months after his release.
According to the release, the accident happened around 3 p.m. near Sherry Lane, where Ray was driving a Nissan Altima and he allegedly cut-off a Harley-Davidson motorcycle driven by Cody-Lee Martin. The motorcycle hit the back of the car, Lewis was ejected, hit a nearby guardrail and died at the scene.
“A witness at the scene told investigators that Ray appeared to swerve repeatedly in an attempt to prevent the motorcycle from passing,” the release stated. The District Attorney’s Office said Ray was cooperative with law enforcement and said he was angry with the motorcyclist and wanted to prevent him from passing.