May 31—The Stonington man facing criminal charges in connection with a fatal collision that claimed the life of a Stonington bicyclist last year faces up to two years in prison.
Jonathan K. Olsen, of 33 Shawondassee Dr., is scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court on July 12 to decide whether to accept an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to the charge of evading responsibility, a misdemeanor. or is rejected’. The plea deal calls for two years in prison — the minimum mandatory term under state law — followed by five years of probation, records show.
Olsen is charged in the March 6, 2023, collision that killed cyclist Gary Piver. Piver, 69, a longtime custodian at the city’s high school, was struck on Route 1 at the Anguilla Brook Bridge and left in the roadway. Police said bloodied car parts left at the scene of the crash matched Olsen’s Toyota 4-Runner, which had front-end damage and a shattered windshield.
For the past year, a white-painted ghost bike has stood on the side of the road in memory of the spot where Piver was hit.
Police used video footage from 32 surveillance cameras in Stonington and Westerly to build their case against Olsen. They painstakingly pieced together video footage from businesses, homes, roads and the lobby of the United Theater in Westerly to track his movements before and after the crash.
Olsen has pleaded not guilty to the charge of evading responsibility resulting in death or serious injury. The charge carries a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
