DANIELSON — A judge has postponed the sentencing of a 22-year-old Massachusetts man charged in connection with a fatal motorcycle crash in Thompson because one of the victim’s relatives works for the court.
The Norwich Bulletin reports that Omar Velez was expected to plead guilty to a negligent homicide charge Monday before the judge learned the victim’s cousin is an employee at Danielson Superior Court.
Prosecutors said Velez, of Charlton, Massachusetts, ran a stop sign before crashing into Penny Woodbury’s motorcycle in September 2015. The 50-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The judge has decided to continue Velez’s case until Jan. 24 while his lawyer and the prosecutor review the matter. Depending on their findings, the case may be moved out of the court’s jurisdiction.
