Manslaughter charge follows fatal 2018 crash

SHARON — Christopher Hoyt, 18, of Sharon was arrested by the Connecticut State Police on March 27 at Torrington Superior Court and charged with manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle and misconduct with a motor vehicle. 

Hoyt had already been arrested last summer, on lesser charges, following the car crash last summer in which his friend and passenger Lukas Kosko, 18, of North Canaan was killed.

According to the police report at the time of the accident, Hoyt was at the wheel of his 1993 Jeep Wrangler on Friday, July 20. At about 7:30 p.m., he was driving on Housatonic River Road in Salisbury when he lost control of the vehicle while turning a corner. The Jeep rode up an embankment on the right shoulder and overturned. 

Pinned under the Jeep

According to the State Police warrant, after the car crashed Hoyt ran to a nearby house and asked for help. Peter Barron told police that he and his wife called 911 and then ran out to the accident site. 

Barron and Hoyt lifted the Jeep off Kosko;  “he was pinned by his head underneath the roll bar,” according to the police report. Although the two men were able to partially  move the Jeep, Kosko’s arm was still pinned under the vehicle when the police arrived. EMS volunteers and firefighters were called to the scene and the Jeep was lifted off Kosko with the help of the fire department.

Suspicions of alcohol use

Hoyt was questioned by the police and initially told them that he had not had any alcohol or drugs and was “proud to be sober.” The police noticed a smell of alcohol and felt that his eyes were red and glassy and his speech was slow. 

When he was asked what happened, Hoyt told police that it was “obvious” and pointed to the tire tracks on the side of the road. He said he had been traveling at 25 mph and his tires lost traction in dirt.

Hoyt said that he had been wearing his seatbelt but his passenger was not, even though he always tells his passengers to wear their seatbelt while riding in the Jeep. He did not suffer any injuries in the crash.

As he recounted what happened he said repeatedly, “It should have been me.”

Failed sobriety tests

Hoyt, who was barefoot, was given the Standardized Field Sobriety Test by Trooper Corinne Swift, who said that she observed “lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation and onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees.”

The American Optometric Association defines nystagmus as “a vision condition in which the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements. These movements often result in reduced vision and depth perception and can affect balance and coordination.”

Swift also observed that Hoyt “took the incorrect number of steps and he turned incorrectly.”

Hoyt was then arrested and taken to the State Police barracks at Troop B in North Canaan, where he took two breathalyzer tests. The first reading showed a blood alcohol concentration (BAC)of 0.115; according to www.dui.drivinglaws.org, that BAC level on a person weighing 140 pounds would indicate as many as five alcoholic beverages had been consumed and would be high enough in most states to merit a DUI.  

At a later interview following the arrest conducted by Trooper Jeremy Ribadeneyra, Hoyt said he had consumed three bottles of Budweiser beer while off-roading in the Jeep prior to the crash. 

According to the police report, Hoyt said the drinks had been “provided by Kosko, who had the beer bottles in a dark-colored backpack he brought in the vehicle.”

Initially, Hoyt was charged with traveling unreasonably fast and illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. 

On March 27, following further investigations by Trooper Swift, he was arrested for manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle and misconduct with a motor vehicle.

Blunt head trauma

Kosko had been taken to Sharon Hospital from the accident scene. He went into cardiac arrest on the way to Sharon but was resuscitated before reaching the hospital. He was then taken by LifeStar helicopter to Hartford Hospital, where he died at 3 a.m. on July 21. 

The cause of death was listed as “complications of blunt head trauma” due to an accident.

A toxicology report showed that there were traces of marijuana (11-Hydroxy Delta 9-THC and Delta-9 Carboxy THC and Delta-9 THC) and alcohol in Kosko’s blood.