Summit man pleads to homicide by vehicle in 2022 crash in Erie that killed 9-year-old boy
A Summit Township man accused of causing a traffic accident three days before Christmas in 2022 that caused the death of a 9-year-old boy and injured others pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to homicide by vehicle and other charges in the Erie police case.
Cameron J. Stearns, 21, entered his pleas before Erie County Judge David Ridge to homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle, both third-degree felonies, as well as a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering and one count of driving under the influence.
Authorities said testing found metabolites of THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, in Stearns' system following the accident.
The charges Stearns pleaded guilty to carry a combined maximum possible penalty of 16 years and six months in prison, with the DUI charge carrying a mandatory minimum of 72 hours in jail, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steven Liboski said in court Tuesday morning.
Stearns had faced more serious charges of homicide by vehicle while DUI and aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, second-degree felonies. Liboski told Ridge the family of 9-year-old George Socie IV, who died in the accident, is aware of the reduction in charges under the plea.
More: Erie police say Summit man was speeding, ran red light in crash that killed 9-year-old
Stearns had initially faced 17 charges that the Erie Bureau of Police filed against him in April following a lengthy investigation into the Dec. 22, 2022, accident at West 12th Street and Pittsburgh Avenue.
According to police, Stearns was driving a Jeep Compass east on West 12th Street at about 4:40 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2022, when he failed to stop at a red light at the Pittsburgh Avenue and collided with a Ford Fusion that was turning left from the northbound lane of Pittsburgh Avenue. The Ford Fusion had the green left turn arrow when it turned to head west on West 12th Street, investigators reported.
Police determined the Jeep Compass was traveling at 55 mph in a 40 mph zone when the collision occurred, according to information in Stearns' criminal complaint.
George Socie IV was sitting in the rear driver's side passenger seat when the accident happened, according to information in the criminal complaint. He was taken to UPMC Hamot, where he was pronounced dead, the Erie County Coroner's Office reported.
Three other people were in the Ford Fusion, including George's father, who was driving, and a 10-year-old child, according to police and information presented in court Tuesday. All were taken to UPMC Hamot after the accident, police reported.
Stearns was not reported injured in the accident.
More: Police investigating crash at west Erie intersection that killed 9-year-old city boy
Ridge scheduled sentencing for May 15 at 8:45 a.m. He ordered Stearns to undergo a drug an alcohol evaluation before sentencing.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Summit man enters pleas in 2022 Erie crash that killed 9-year-old boy
