Aggressive driving charges dropped in Route 8 crash
Two drivers charged in an alleged road-rage incident on Route 8 in Butler Township in March saw those charges dropped at preliminary hearings.
On Thursday, J.P. Kulzer, assistant district attorney, withdrew six charges against Steven C. Hottenfeller Sr., 47, of Lyndora, including three counts of reckless endangerment and three traffic citations.
Charges against Courtney M. Brand, 25, of Butler were withdrawn at her hearing in October.
One charge of summary reckless driving was held for both parties and moved to traffic court.
According to charging documents, police responded to a one-vehicle crash March 25 at Butler RV Center and Auto Sales, 196 Pittsburgh Road.
A white Volkswagen Jetta crashed into three RVs, one of which had a cost of $92,000, according to a Butler Eagle report.
Charging documents said the crashed vehicle belonged to Brand. Police said they spoke with Brand, Hottenfeller and two witnesses at the scene and found that their accounts of the incident conflicted.
Brand told them she had passed Hottenfeller’s vehicle, a brown Buick Park Avenue, by using the right lane. She told police Hottenfeller then tried to pass her by using the right lane, but a vehicle in front of him prevented him from doing so.
According to police, the woman who was driving the vehicle that initially stopped Hottenfeller told police that Brand passed her vehicle in the left lane, and a moment later, Hottenfeller passed her on the right using the berm.
The witness said they saw Hottenfeller keep pace with Brand’s vehicle, then roll his window down and yell at Brand. Brand also told police Hottenfeller was “yelling and flipping her off,” but Hottenfeller denied the act while talking with police himself.
“(The witness) advised from her point of view there was no reason for (Hottenfeller) to pass her on the berm,” police said.
The witness told police the two stayed side by side, Brand in the left lane and Hottenfeller in the right, until Brand came upon an SUV in the left lane.
“(The witness) advised that through her rearview mirror, it looked like they were trying to run each other off the road by staying side by side,” police said.
The SUV driver said she then saw Brand’s vehicle hit a curb and head toward the RVs.
Brand told police she thought she could merge into the right lane ahead of Hottenfeller’s vehicle, and she believed his vehicle hit her rear-passenger side.
Hottenfeller and Brand were charged by Butler Township police.
