A Dorset man facing a felony charge in a crash that killed Hollywood actor Treat Williams last June could get probation in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser offense.
Court records show that the defendant, Ryan Koss, is scheduled to plead guilty March 8 to a misdemeanor charge of negligent vehicle operation that resulted in Williams’ death. Under his plea deal with state prosecutors, Koss would undergo probation for one year and, if he successfully completes it, the court would expunge the offense from his record.
Koss, 35, was originally charged in Vermont Superior Court with a felony vehicular offense, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Vermont State Police said Koss, who was driving an SUV along Vermont Route 30 in Dorset on June 12, was making a left-hand turn into an auto repair shop when he struck a motorcycle that Williams was riding. Williams, 71, of Manchester Center, was thrown from the motorcycle and hit the SUV’s windshield. The actor was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in New York, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said the primary reason for the crash was that Koss failed to yield to oncoming traffic that had the right of way — a violation of Vermont law. Investigators said substance use was not a factor in the crash, and witnesses said the vehicles didn’t appear to be speeding.
Koss’s attorney, Ian Carleton, and Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage have already signed the plea agreement, court documents show. The judge presiding over the case, Kerry Ann McDonald-Cady, needs to sign off on the agreement.
