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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- A state Superior Court panel has affirmed a sentence of 8.5- to 17-years incarceration for Trenton Ross Bilak of Everett who was driving an ATV in 2017 that crashed into a pair of deer, ejecting and killing an 18-year-old passenger.
In a recent ruling, the panel found no fault with the sentence Blair County Judge Timothy M. Sullivan handed down in September after Bilak rendered guilty pleas to homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death or personal injury, tampering with evidence and reckless driving.
Sullivan elected to impose statutory maximum penalties and to run the sentences consecutively, adding up to the 8.5- to 17-years' incarceration. His decision ended what was an emotional hearing with testimony from those who knew 18-year-old Mikayla D. Focht of Hollidaysburg, including her parents who said their daughter's death created a wound in their hearts that will never heal.
Bilak, during the sentencing hearing, told the judge he was trying to remove Focht from an underage drinking party that had gotten out of control. The defendant said he wasn't thinking straight after the crash and made a lot of wrong decisions.
State police contend that Bilak and co-defendant Jacob Ralph Helsel, who was driving a truck and following the ATV, left Focht's deceased body at the crash site and took no steps to inform authorities about what had happened. After taking steps to conceal their involvement, police said the pair returned to the crash site where they found police, having been summoned by a passing motorist.
After Sullivan imposed the 8.5- to 17-year sentence, State College attorney Brian Manchester appealed, contending that Sullivan didn't provide a legally sufficient reason for exceeding the standard range of the state's sentencing guidelines.
But the Superior Court panel of Judges John T. Bender, Paula Francisco Ott and Gene B. Strassburger reviewed Sullivan's decision and concluded otherwise.
"Because the trial court fashioned an individualized, reasonable sentence after taking into account multiple factors, we discern no abuse of discretion," the court panel agreed.
The judges acknowledged Sullivan describing himself as "especially troubled" by the fact that Bilak left Focht's body "unprotected from oncoming traffic on a state highway for over two hours." The court also noted that Sullivan described Bilak's actions on the night of crash as "selfish, calculating and inhumane," as evidenced by his failure to render aid and his attempt to "cover his tracks."
Bilak is currently incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Rockview in Centre County.