Clint T. Benson of Hillsborough Township pleaded guilty Monday in Superior Court to assault by auto and other charges dating back to an incident in 2013.
He also pleaded guilty to possession of hollow-point bullets and possession of narcotic paraphernalia, a disorderly persons offense. Sentencing is scheduled for March 24.
Mr. Benson, 24, of Amwell Road, also pleaded guilty to a series of motor vehicle summonses charging him with possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, reckless driving, failure to report a motor vehicle accident, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while intoxicated.
A press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said the state will move to dismiss the remaining counts of the indictment after sentence is imposed. They are aggravated assault, a second-degree crime; possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose (third degree) and endangering an injured victim (third degree), as well as remaining motor vehicle charges.
The case goes back nearly three years.
On Sunday, March 17, 2013 at about 2:59 a.m., Branchburg police responded to Woodfern Road on a report of a pedestrian being struck by a motor vehicle. Officers found Richard Lachner, 26, of Flemington, lying in the roadway. The Branchburg Rescue Squad, along with Somerset Medical Center paramedics, responded and took him to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Trauma Center. Mr. Lachner was treated for internal injuries, a fractured skull, a broken hand and lacerations about his body.
The investigation conducted by Branchburg Township police detectives revealed that Mr. Lachner had confronted Mr. Benson about his reckless driving while Mr. Benson was seated behind the wheel of his vehicle. After the confrontation, according to the indictment, Mr. Benson accelerated his Nissan Frontier pickup truck and struck Mr. Lachner from behind as he was walking back toward a restaurant on Woodfern Road.
After impact, Mr. Benson continued in a southerly direction on Woodfern Road. A short distance away, he crashed his vehicle into a guard rail near the intersection of Lehigh and Woodfern roads. The vehicle was inoperable. Mr. Benson and a passenger were located at the second crash scene.
Further investigation revealed that defendant Benson’s blood-alcohol content to be .20 percent.
A Superior Court search warrant was executed on the truck and police seized 50 .22-caliber hollow-point bullets in the center console.
On March 20, 2013, the defendant posted $100,000 cash bail. As conditions of his bail he was ordered not to have contact with the victim and he is not permitted to drive between sunset and 4 a.m.
The state was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Frank P. Kolodzieski, II.
