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Officer Jason Listmeier, 24, of Downingtown, is charged with careless driving resulting in an unintentional death, driving on roadways laned for traffic, and overtaking a vehicle on the left, said Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan in a release.
Authorities say Listmeier was responding to a call about an erratic driver on the morning of Feb. 19 when he lost control of his vehicle and fatally struck 75-year-old bicyclist Michael Ghione of West Chester, the DA said.
Listmeier immediately stopped and rendered aid to Ghione, but the bicyclist was pronounced dead of multiple blunt impact injuries at the scene, prosecutors wrote.
According to investigators, Listmeier was traveling at 50 mph in a 45-mph zone at the time of the wreck. The DA claimed the officer "looked down at his work computer" before losing control of the car, hitting a guard rail, and then striking Ghione.
In a statement, the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department noted that the charges were traffic offenses, not criminal, and said that Officer Listmeier is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the charges and department's own internal review.
"We are heartbroken for the loss of life, the effect it has had on the Ghione family, the police officers involved, and our community," department brass wrote. "We respect the prosecutorial decision of the District Attorney and will let the matter play out in court.”
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