Man arraigned in case in which 2 were killed in Clarion crash

Posted By: VenangoExtra.com December 20, 2018

From staff reports

A Mercer County man has been arraigned on two counts of homicide by vehicle after an accident in April in Highland Township, Clarion County.

Joseph Michael Flynn, 24, of Clark, was charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence in the deaths of Mark Marcucci, 29, of West Middlesex, Mercer County, and Kevin Yarabinec, 23, of Sharpsville, Mercer County.

Flynn also faces the following felony charges: aggravated assault and aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, (three counts).

In addition, Flynn has been charged with the following misdemeanors: DUI: general impairment/incapable of driving safely – first offense; DUI: high rate of alcohol first offense, involuntary manslaughter (two counts), simple assault (three counts), recklessly endangering another person, misdemeanor 2 (three counts.)

He is also charged with several summary offenses.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, at 12:16 a.m. on April 14, state police were dispatched to a crash on Miola Road, about a half-mile north of Bigley Road.

According to the affidavit, Clarion state police Trooper Patrick Berggren said the investigation showed a 2017 RAM 1500 pickup truck was traveling north on Route 1005 when it went off the road on the east berm while negotiating a left curve.

The truck struck a culvert and a road sign and continued north next to the road when the right side of the truck struck a tree, the affidavit said.

The truck then struck a second tree with the right side of the front end, causing the truck to rotate 180 degrees counterclockwise before coming to rest to the east of the second tree, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit said the three passengers in the truck were ejected from the vehicle but Flynn, the driver, was not ejected.

Clarion County Coroner Randall Stom pronounced Marcucci dead at the scene. His death was attributed to blunt force trauma.

Yarabinec was flown from Clarion to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where on April 15 he died from his injuries. An autopsy indicated that Yarabinec died from blunt force trauma.

A third passenger, Cody Hughes was flown from Clarion to Pittsburgh Presbyterian Hospital for injuries that he received in the crash. He suffered two broken vertebrae, a fractured ankle and knee problems.

Flynn, the affidavit said, told a Shippenville EMT, that he had eight to 10 beers.

A search of Flynn’s medical records showed he had a BAC (blood alcohol content) of .143 percent at the time of the test, the affidavit said.

An accident reconstruction by police showed Flynn’s vehicle was traveling between 86 and 93 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

Flynn was arraigned in Magisterial District Judge Timothy P. Schill’s office on Wednesday. Flynn is free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, with Schill presiding.