A Blair County judge has found a State College police sergeant not guilty of driving at an unsafe speed in April.
Tyrone-based District Judge Fred Miller issued his decision Friday, as first reported by the Centre Daily Times and confirmed by the court office.
The police sergeant, Bill Muse, was headed east on East Beaver Avenue when his police SUV, a Chevrolet Tahoe, struck a jaywalking pedestrian, according to police reports. It happened about 1:40 a.m. on April 25.
The pedestrian, Penn State student Kevin R. Ignatuk, 21, suffered head and neck injuries in the collision. He had been drinking before the incident, in which he entered the vehicle’s path, according to police reports.
State police announced in May that summary charges would be filed against both Muse and Ignatuk. Ignatuk was charged with public drunkenness or similar misconduct, jaywalking and a related alcohol violation.
He filed a guilty plea, the CDT reported.
Muse was cited for traveling at a speed unsafe for the conditions. It was raining the night of the wreck, and a state police investigation found that Muse had been driving between 36 mph and 39 mph in a 25 mph zone.
He chose to contest the citation — a move that led to Miller’s ruling today.
Miller could not be reached immediately for comment this afternoon. According to the CDT, he attributed his not-guilty ruling to expert testimony that the crash would have been unavoidable even if Muse had been traveling at 20 mph.
Earlier coverage: Student, Police Sergeant Face Summary Charges In State College Crash
