The rural Rio man involved in a fatal head-on collision early Friday faces a drunken driving charge but not a homicide charge following an appearance in court.
Jack W. Frandy, 69, is free on $500 cash bail after an initial appearance Monday in Columbia County Circuit Court.
Frandy is charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated as a second offense and with obstructing an officer, both as misdemeanors. The charges carry a possible maximum initial penalty of 18 months in jail and $11,100 in fines.
Further charges could be pending, however, according to the District Attorney's Office; the investigation into the death of Ben VanderVenter, 21, is not yet complete, according to Angela Hinze, Columbia County medical examiner.
VanderVenter suffered significant internal injuries, Hinze said, after his 1992 Saturn coupe crossed the center line while travelling south on Highway C, south of Hall Road, around midnight Thursday. VanderVenter's car struck a 2002 Cadillac Escapade driven by Frandy, who was traveling north. The collision was head-on.
Pamela Frandy, Jack Frandy's wife, initially told authorities she was the driver; Frandy called her to the scene after the accident, according to a criminal complaint. Pamela reportedly drove from their Highway B residence to the accident before contacting 911 at 12:16 a.m. Friday, authorities said.
Frandy drove from the accident scene to the Columbus Community Hospital when Pamela was taken there by ambulance; when confronted by authorities, he later admitted he was the driver in the accident.
Frandy reportedly told a Columbus police officer at the hospital that he had consumed three glasses of wine and a beer, and said he should not have been driving.
Alcohol was thought to be a factor with both drivers; empty beer cans were discovered in VanderVenter's car, according to Lt. Doug Jarzynski of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office .
Frandy has no criminal history; he was convicted of first-offense drunken driving in July, 2007.