Centre County man pleads guilty in crash that killed one, injured three others
A Centre County man with multiple DUI convictions pleaded guilty Friday to drunken driving when he caused a head-on crash that killed an older Bellefonte man and seriously injured three others.
Anatoliy Y. Kolosov, 38, of Benner Township, is slated to be sentenced to at least a decade in state prison under a deal reached with county prosecutors. The agreement comes about one month before his trial was scheduled to begin.
Kolosov pleaded guilty to seven charges, including felony counts of homicide by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and DUI. Seven other charges were dropped.
His maximum prison sentence is set to be 20 years. Kolosov said little during the hearing; he largely just answered perfunctory questions from Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine.
Kolosov slammed a 2012 Mercedes-Benz head-on into a Chevrolet Equinox on Centre Hall mountain, near the intersection of South Main Street and Lower Greens Valley Road in Spring Township.
Those inside the Equinox were driving home after leaving the 2022 Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, Centre County Deputy District Attorney Megan McGoron said Friday.
Kolosov’s blood alcohol content, the township police detective wrote in an affidavit of probable cause, was 0.186%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%.
McGoron said Kolosov was also driving at a high-rate of speed, but was not immediately able to offer a more precise description. The speed limit is 35 mph.
The collision killed Richard A. DeVinney, a 79-year-old grandfather described in his obituary as the “glue (that) held the family together.” He worked as a respiratory therapist at Mount Nittany Medical Center for more than 50 years.
“Any event that his children or grandchildren were involved in, was the most important thing to him! They never had to doubt that he would be sitting or standing proudly in the audience or on the sidelines for any sporting events, school concerts, awards ceremonies, and anything else family oriented. He loved his family with everything he had,” his obituary read. “Anyone who knew him, would often know about the achievements of his grandchildren, as he was always lovingly boasting about everything they had going on in their lives. His grandkids truly were his pride and joy.”
A 49-year-old driver, a 23-year-old rear passenger and a 17-year-old rear passenger were also injured in the crash. Two were flown by a medical helicopter to hospitals outside of Centre County, while another was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center.
The driver was treated for a compound leg fracture. She was immobile and was in need of “around the clock care,” police wrote in the September affidavit.
The 23-year-old was treated for a broken leg that required surgery. The 17-year-old had “many” teeth knocked out and was also treated for facial and spinal fractures that required a brace.
Kolosov was flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Altoona for treatment of serious injuries. He was released days later. His passenger was not injured. Kolosov had two DUI convictions at the time of the crash.
The collision was one of 16 fatal crashes last year in Centre County, according to state Transportation Department data. It was the only fatal crash in Spring Township.
Kolosov is detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility. He’s been incarcerated at the jail since October. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 15.
This story was originally published August 18, 2023 at 3:30 PM.