It was a quiet and somber Daniel Oaks II who was arraigned and released Tuesday evening on allegations that he caused a car crash in September 2018 that killed Alyssa Hawk and seriously injured three men.
It was a far cry from the daring and confident Daniel Oaks who set land speed records on a motorcycle in 2013 and 2016.
Police said speed was a factor in the crash on Main Street of Duke Center, just down the road from the Y Bar, where Oaks and his girlfriend, Hawk, were helping decorate for a fundraising event set for the next day. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said after the arraignment, which was held before District Judge Rich Luther, that Oaks had not been drinking, and there was no indication that he had any alcohol prior to the crash.
Oaks, 31, of 105 Hemlock St., Bradford, had shared a home with Hawk, 28.
The criminal complaint in the case said police estimate Oaks was traveling at least twice the posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour when his Subaru WRX — a little blue sports car — went off the road and struck a full-size pickup truck, pushing it into two side-by-side utility vehicles.
When Otto-Eldred Regional Police Officer Eric Neiswonger arrived on the scene, the crashed Subaru’s speedometer was stuck at 85 mph.
Hawk had been a passenger in Oaks’ car. The three men, Cody and Sam Pearce and Justin McDivitt, had been in the yard near the truck, which was pushed into them by the force of the crash, according to reports at the time of the crash. One man who was in the yard was not injured.
Neiswonger’s narrative of the crash explained that on Sept. 8, he was dispatched to an accident near 610 Main St. in Duke Center. When he arrived on the scene, he saw the blue car off the road, saw that it had struck the pickup truck, which had been pushed into the UTVs. Three men were on the ground in the yard, not moving. There were people with each of the males in the yard, so the officer went to the car, where two people were still inside, the complaint alleged.
When he approached, he saw Darla Oaks, the mother of the car’s driver, beside the passenger side door, trying to wake the passenger. She told the officer that her son was the driver, and Hawk, his girlfriend, was the passenger, according to the complaint.
Neiswonger asked Darla Oaks to step back, and he checked Hawk, finding no pulse. He immediately notified the McKean County 911 center that the accident had a fatality and asked them to contact state police accident reconstruction.
The road was closed, and EMS and fire personnel responded. Neiswonger began interviewing people in the immediate area, who said they didn’t see the crash, but heard a speeding car and then heard the crash, the complaint stated.
Defense attorney Anthony Clarke pointed out at the arraignment that Oaks was seriously injured in the crash as well.
“He suffered a severe brain injury,” Clarke said, and explained that among other issues, Oaks recently had another surgery to correct a problem with his arm.
Oaks was charged with homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter, as well as three counts of aggravated assault by motor vehicle and five counts of recklessly endangering another person and multiple traffic violations.
When it came to the issue of bail, Clarke asked for his client to be released on his own recognizance. “He has substantial ties to the community,” he said, gesturing to both of Oaks’ parents, who attended the hearing. “He presents no flight risk. He’s been here seven months since the accident.”
Shaffer asked for substantial bail, saying the crash was “very traumatic to the victims,” especially Hawk’s family. She said it had been a lengthy and thorough investigation, and there is a “very high likelihood of conviction” at trial.
“I think, if convicted, a state sentence will be the most likely outcome,” Shaffer said. “The likelihood of experiencing state incarceration could be motivation to flee.”
Luther asked Oaks a series of questions before setting bail at 5 percent of $100,000. “You have to post $5,000 to get out,” the judge explained. Oaks and his parents posted the bail, and Luther set a Central Court date of April 4.
Clarke said he will likely see a full preliminary hearing in the case at a time yet to be scheduled.
