Jeffrey Glowatski, Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania DUI driver avoids death charges after running over and killing 11 year old girl, Roxanne Bonnoni in Harrison County. But why?
A Pittsburgh area man accused of driving under the influence and killing an 11 year old girl as she played in front of her home was on Wednesday charged with DUI charges almost one year after the girl’s death.
Jeffrey Glowatski, 65, of Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania was indicted on charges of driving under the influence and careless driving according to Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.
On Aug. 20, 2024, 11-year-old Roxanne Bonnoni was hit and killed along Kuntz Street in Harrison County around 7:30 p.m. At the time of her death, the girl was playing outside in front of their home with a friend when she was killed, KDKA reported.
Jeffrey Glowatski DUI driver double the legal limit
Leading into the tragedy, Glowatski had left two different bars where he downed 12 beers, with responding officers observing the man having ‘slurred’ speech. The man refused officer directives to take sobriety tests at the scene.
Additional testing was done through the execution of a search warrant. Glowatski’s blood alcohol level turned out to be nearly double the legal limit — 0.153%, according to police.
According to prosecutors, the 11 year old girl, described as being ‘hearing impaired,’ was killed moments after the DUI driver had left the Boots Bar in Brackenridge, just moments earlier.
Court documents stated Glowatski downing beers earlier that day at 2.45 p.m, and not stopping until 7:15 p.m., when he left Boots Bar after allegedly drinking five 12-ounce servings.
Moments later just on 7.30 p.m as the girl was crossing the street, Roxanne Bonnoni was fatally struck. Witnessing the tragedy was the victim’s father, Anthony Csizmadia, who’d rushed over, picked up his daughter and called for help according to a GoFundMe description.
Noted the fundraiser in part, ‘Unfortunately, nothing could be done to save her.’
Did Roxanne Bonnoni get justice?
Nearly one year after the 11 year old girl’s death, while Glowatski now faces three counts of DUI and two counts of careless driving, prosecutors declined to charge the DUI driver with Bonnoni’s death.
Asked if Glowatski could face additional charges related to the DUI crash, a district attorney’s office spokesperson told KDKA that ‘based on the evidence, the case has been appropriately charged.’
University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris said that, in general, decisions about what charges are appropriate should be driven by the evidence and what the prosecution thinks it can prove in court.
‘The ethical rule is they should not bring any case that they don’t feel they can prove without a reasonable doubt,’ Harris told TribLive.
Proving a charge of homicide by vehicle, beyond a reasonable doubt, can be very difficult the legal scholar said. Which is to wonder, would death charges have been pursued had the victim not been deaf? Did her deafness contribute to her being mowed down?
So far, neither the district attorney’s office nor Allegheny County Police have offered details on what prevented vehicular homicide charges in the case.
George Hohman who witnessed the crash, responding to prosecutor’s decision to not levy death charges told TribLive, ‘To think he’s just getting a slap on the wrist is just too much.’
Roxanne attended DePaul School and was getting ready to start classes at Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf before she was killed last year. Her family says she had ‘aspirations of being a cheerleader and soccer player,’ according to her obituary.
Read a statement released by the school at the time of Roxanne’s death, ‘Roxanne was a beloved member of our DePaul School family, where she spent many years growing, learning to listen and speak, and sharing her love of storytelling with her classmates and teachers. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of such a vibrant and cherished young life.”
Glowatski is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 24.
