CLEARFIELD – A Julian man was sentenced to state prison Monday after he pleaded guilty in relation to an accident in October 2021 that killed an Ohio woman and seriously injured her husband.
Police say Steven A. Hunt, 28, was traveling on the Philipsburg-Bigler Highway in Bradford Township when the traffic in front of him slowed down.
He swerved into the opposing lane where his truck struck a vehicle carrying an Ohio couple.
The operator of the other vehicle and the passenger were entrapped when police arrived on the scene.
Cheryl Elaine Mravetz, 74, died the next day from “multi-system trauma”, according to a coroner’s report.
It was noted in the criminal complaint that at the time of the accident, Hunt’s driver’s license was suspended, his vehicle’s registration had expired and he had no car insurance.
During colloquy court on Monday, Hunt was before President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to plead guilty to homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, two counts of accidents involving death or personal injury and recklessly endangering another person as well as a summary charge of driving while operator’s privilege suspended.
Robert Mravetz, now 81, one of the victims, addressed the court explaining how his life changed that day. Both he and his wife were in good health and “independent”, he said.
She died and he suffered broken arms, broken legs and a shattered ankle. His injuries required surgery that took over seven hours.
He was on a ventilator for months and had to sleep in a lift chair until last December. He found himself unable to even eat and was “totally dependant on care” for a while.
Just recently he has been walking without some type of assistance and he is still working an hour a day to recover his previous functions, he said.
“This should never have happened.”
Mravetz went on to say that it was Hunt’s choice to get into a vehicle and drive when the law said he couldn’t.
“If he hadn’t done that, she would still be alive today.”
He noted the death impacted not just his family but his community.
“We received a life sentence.”
He asked Ammerman to hold Hunt accountable “to the full extent of the law.”
His children also spoke, describing how the accident changed their lives, taking their mother and leaving their father in a nursing home during COVID.
They all mentioned that the 18-month plea was not enough punishment for Hunt.
Hunt’s attorney, Ryan Dobo, noted that Hunt was willing to serve 18 months, which is actually more than was required of him due to him not having a criminal record.
Hunt wanted to resolve the case as soon as possible and agreed, even though he knew it would be a state prison sentence, he stated.
Ammerman asked to meet with District Attorney Ryan Sayers and Dobo in chambers to further discuss the case.
Before he was sentenced, Hunt was drug tested and found to be negative for all substances.
When they returned to the courtroom, Ammerman explained that the sentencing guidelines are “ridiculous” considering the seriousness of this case.
In their discussion, it was agreed that Hunt receive a two-year minimum sentence and Dobo confirmed Hunt also agreed to this.
Hunt then said he wanted to apologize, even if it “doesn’t make it right.”
Ammerman sentenced Hunt to two to six years in state prison. He was also ordered to pay over $29,000 in restitution.
Ammerman commented that these “cases are terrible” and nothing could bring her back.
He also stated that he expected the victim’s family to be angry with the outcome, but the guidelines “handcuff the court.”
According to the affidavit, a witness who was traveling ahead of Hunt’s vehicle told investigators traffic slowed for a commercial vehicle that was going to stop at the railroad tracks.
He said he noticed in his rearview mirror that Hunt’s vehicle was approaching quickly. First it swerved to the right toward the guardrails and then into the other lane where he saw it impact the second vehicle, he reported.
Police were able to obtain video footage of the crash from a commercial truck that was a few cars behind the other vehicles when the crash happened. It confirmed what the witness and others had stated.
