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http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110714/NJNEWS/307140020/Retired-Plainfield-cop-accused-causing-alcohol-fueled-wreck-left-two-motorcyclists-dead-four-injured?odyssey=obinsite

BANGOR, PA. — A recently retired Plainfield police officer is being accused of driving drunk and causing a fiery crash in which two motorcyclists died and four others were seriously injured, authorities said.

John P. Heaney III, 49, of Lopatcong, is charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter, four counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and numerous related traffic offenses, according to court documents.

According to an affidavit filed Wednesday, Heaney at about 4:50 p.m. on July 1 was driving his brown 2003 Dodge Ram truck northbound on state Route 512 here, a small town not far from the southern foothills of the Poconos, when he approached a bend in the roadway.

Heaney never negotiated the turn, the court papers indicated. The pickup truck drifted into the road’s southbound lane and plowed head-on into a group of seven motorcycles traveling in the opposite direction, causing “severe damage” to six of them, according to witness statements and an officer’s description contained in the affidavit.

Keith Michaelson, 52, of West Milford and Michael Zadoyko, 47, of Pompton Lakes were pronounced dead at the scene, killed by multiple blunt-force trauma injuries, while riders Jerry Hoogmoed, Robert Coscia, Thomas Brawley Jr. and Douglas Volpicella all were hospitalized with “significant” injuries, the court papers indicated.

Heaney, who refused medical treatment, had the odor of alcohol on his breath and bloodshot, glassy eyes when questioned by an officer, according to the affidavit. A breath test administered to Heaney at the scene produced a blood-alcohol content of 0.11, over Pennsylvania’s legal limit of .08, and Heaney was unsteady on his feet during a field sobriety test, the court papers indicated. Heaney in a statement to police said that he had been “struck by a motorcycle that appeared to be passing,” but a friend who reportedly spent the morning fishing with him told investigators that Heaney called him immediately after the accident and said that “all he could remember was somebody going across the hood of his truck.”

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Part 2
Heaney was arraigned Wednesday morning and later released on $50,000 bail, according to the Morning Call of Allentown, Pa. The newspaper reported that Heaney is facing mandatory minimum sentences of six years on the vehicular homicide charges and a maximum of 30 to 60 years in prison. Messages left with Dennis Charles, Heaney’s attorney, and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli were not immediately returned Thursday.

Plainfield Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig said Heaney retired from the force in 2009, having most previously served as a patrolman working desk duty. Public records indicate that Heaney enrolled in the state’s pension plan in 1996 and earned $82,592 in base salary the year he retired.

“It devastated us all. The whole situation is very sad,” Plainfield Policemen’s Benevolent Association President Andre Crawford said, recalling Heaney as a “very good guy and a very good officer.”

Another police official said Heaney suffered a shoulder injury that prevented him from performing some of his duties and ultimately forced his retirement. Hellwig said he didn’t know much about Heaney, but noted that he had a clean service record free of any recent disciplinary actions.

Outrage about the accident built steadily during the week , with more than 600 people joining a Facebook page urging authorities to jail Heaney. According to multiple news reports, the victims of the crash were members of the Last Chance Motorcycle Club — a multi-chapter support group comprised of reformed substance abusers — who all were on their way to a wake of a club member when the accident occurred.

Funeral services for the two people killed in the crash were held last week. Michaelson was described in his obituary as a married father of two who worked at a Century 21 office and “died doing what he loved: riding a Harley.” Zadoyko’s obituary indicated that he was a U.S. Navy veteran and a married father of three who worked as the co-owner of a Pompton Lakes construction and home remodeling company. Zadoyko also was president of the Greenwood Lake, N.Y. chapter of the Last Chance Motorcycle Club.

A preliminary hearing in the case against Heaney is scheduled for July 21 before District Court Judge Todd Strohe in Bangor.

[StevesCVO]

Killed 2 people and released on $50k bail  He should never see the light of day again.