Fatal Penn. crash: Michael Ware pleads guilty
HONESDALE, Penn. – Nearly a year after three teenagers died in a crash on a Pennsylvania road, the father of the 15-year-old unlicensed driver who caused the crash pleaded guilty in court Thursday to six misdemeanors.
His plea, though, seemed to offer little solace for the victim's families.
Michael Ware, of Eastchester, admitted in court Thursday to letting his unlicensed daughter, then 15, drive his Chevy Suburban on Aug. 30, 2014, near a Pocono resort community in Paupack Township where he owns a vacation home. His daughter allegedly took the vehicle, with five friends inside, to buy breakfast before speeding down a hill and flipping the SUV several times.
Cullen Keffer, Shamus Digney and Ryan Lesher, all 15-year-old residents of Bucks County, Pennslyvania, were killed. Another passenger from Bucks County was seriously injured, while Ware's daughter and another teenage girl from Westchester were unharmed.
Ware, 54, had faced felony charges but admitted in Wayne County Courthouse to three counts of reckless endangerment and three counts of involuntary manslaughter. He faces a maximum of 21 years in prison plus a $45,000 fine at his sentencing, set for 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 20.
Ware initially told investigators he was unaware his daughter had taken the SUV, which he acknowledged in court Thursday was a lie.
District Attorney Janine Edwards recounted the circumstances of the case as part of the plea hearing. The fourth-floor courtroom was filled with relatives of the three boys who died and the two other teens who were passengers in the car.
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"Is that essentially true sir?" Judge Raymond Hamill asked after Edwards spoke.
"Yes, your honor," Ware replied.
The three manslaughter charges are for the teens who died; the reckless endangerment charges are in connection with Ware's daughter, who did not attend Thursday's hearing, and the two surviving passengers.
Ware left the court at 2 p.m. looking distraught. As he walked down the steps he was surrounded by reporters who asked for his comments on resolving the case.
"Sorry, very sorry," he mumbled.
His lawyer, Robert Reno, told reporters, "There's nothing satisfactory about this case."
Edwards, reading a statement to reporters, said: "I am very pleased the defendant took responsibility for these crimes. I am very happy we get to move forward for the families' sake."
Edwards and Reno would not discuss whether there was any agreed-upon sentence or sentencing recommendation in the case. Reno said only that Ware faces a wide range of possibilities.
Ed Lesher, father of Ryan Lesher, left the court showing little emotion. When asked by reporters what he took from the case, he responded: "Don't drive without a license. When someone says to slow down, slow down. That's all there is to it."
Ware remains free on bail.
His daughter had faced juvenile charges in the case. Hamill recently found her to be delinquent, sentencing her to indefinite probation, mental health counseling, community service, and restitution of $46,911.
Ware had initially faced three counts of involuntary manslaughter, six counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of endangering welfare of children, and one count each of false reports and permitting an unauthorized person to drive. The other charges were dropped under a plea agreement.
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