Hamden Man Faces Prison Time In Fatal Ansonia Crash: Report

Hamden CT

28 April, 2022

1:45 PM

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HAMDEN, CT — A Hamden man faces up to three years in prison after accepting a plea deal in connection with a fatal crash in Ansonia in 2018, according to the Connecticut Post. The Post reports Zachary Mercer, 27, pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine to misconduct with a motor vehicle. The Alford doctrine allows a defendant to plead guilty, without admitting guilt but conceding that the evidence would lead to a conviction at trial. Mercer was originally charged by Ansonia police with misconduct with a motor vehicle, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle without of state plates, violation of totaled vehicle regulations and failure to obey a traffic signal. He was arrested in connection with the Sept. 23, 2018 crash killed 78-year-old Garrett Dalton. Ansonia police said at the time that Mercer was driving a salvage vehicle that didn't pass inspection in Connecticut and was instead registered in Texas. Mercer is scheduled to be sentenced July 20 and could avoid jail time under the plea deal that calls for a five-year prison sentence to be suspended after up to three years, with his lawyer given the right to argue for a completely suspended prison term, according to the Post. Read more at the Connecticut Post here.