MAINE, Maine — A 23-year-old man charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide in connection with the June 2019 deaths of 7 motorcyclists on a New Hampshire highway has waived arraignment.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was due in Coos County Superior Court on Tuesday to face seven counts each of manslaughter and negligent homicide - DUI, as well as charges of reckless conduct and aggravated DUI.
But Zhukovskyy's attorney, Jay Duguay, waived arraignment, according to a release Friday from a spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Judicial Branch.
The Boston Globe reported that Zhukovskyy was under the influence of drugs and reaching for a drink at the time of the crash.
According to the Associated Press, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said the drug for which Zhukovskyy tested positive was "unspecified," but it made him "incapable of driving safely" when his truck crossed the center line and hit the motorcyclists in Randolph.
A judge deemed Zhukovskyy a threat to the public and ordered him detained at the Coos County Jail, where he remained as of Friday, November 1, 2019.
He is pleading not guilty to the charges.
