A 23-year-old Cottekill man is facing vehicular manslaughter charges after, Ulster County sheriff’s deputies say, while driving drunkenly he ran a stop sign and crashed into a Jeep, killing a 50-year-old woman and seriously injuring a 19-year-old man.
According to deputies, Tyler J. Grable, was driving a 1999 Subaru Legacy and travelling west on Cottekill Road at about 7:04 p.m. the night of Friday, Sept. 26 when he failed to stop at the intersection of Cottekill Road and Lucas Turnpike and hit a 2006 Jeep Liberty travelling south on Lucas Turnpike. The occupants of the Jeep were taken to HealthAlliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus, deputies said. The driver of the Jeep, Kelly A.Utter, 50, of Cottekill, was later pronounced dead at the hospital; her passenger, Joseph M. Utter, 19, of Cottekill, was admitted with serious injuries. An investigation found Grable was driving while intoxicated, deputies said.
Grable was charged with second degree vehicular manslaughter and second degree vehicular assault, both felonies. He was also charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and failure to stop, a violation. Additional charges are still pending against Grable, deputies said, as the investigation remains open. Grable was arraigned in Rosendale Town Court and sent to Ulster County Jail in lieu of $15,000 cash or a $100,000 bond pending a future court appearance.
Members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office were assisted by members of the state police, the state police Crash Investigation Unit, Town of Rosendale Police, Cottekill Fire Department, Marbletown Rescue Squad and Mobile Life.
