Driver in NH Crash That Killed 7 Motorcyclists May Never Face Judge for Connecticut Charges

A man facing a charge of operating under the influence in Connecticut may never have to face a judge in the state.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was arrested in East Windsor back in May, but he’s facing more serious charges in New Hampshire, where he’s accused of driving under the influence and killing seven people.

Zhukovskyy was supposed to appear in court Thursday in Enfield for a pretrial hearing on the OUI charge.

The case was continued but both his attorney and Enfield’s Assistant State’s Attorney say there’s a likelihood he won’t be prosecuted in Connecticut.

The 23-year-old from Ukraine faces charges of negligent homicide in New Hampshire for the deaths of seven people who police say he plowed into with a commercial pick-up truck back in June.

The victims were members of a US marines motorcycle club heading to a charity event.

New information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that Zhukovskyy was high on drugs and reaching for a drink when the crash happened. The report states that Zhukovskyy tested positive for either a narcotic or an amphetamine.

Enfield Assistant State’s Attorney Christopher Parakilas said while the charge of negligent homicide, which Zhukovskyy has pleaded not guilty to, is only a misdemeanor in Connecticut, it is considered a felony in New Hampshire.

Parakilas expects Zhukovskyy to be wrapped up in the New Hampshire court system for quite a while and says there is no practical mechanism to get him back to Connecticut to face a judge.

East Windsor authorities say he refused to take a chemical test when he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on May 11.

NBC Connecticut spoke with Zhukovskyy’s attorney for the Connecticut case which he called “defensible.”

Attorney John O’Brien said he does not expect his client’s case in Connecticut to ever go to trial, either.

He said he last spoke to Zhukovskyy in May, before the fatal crash in June.

Although Connecticut shared the arrest information with Massachusetts, Zhukovskyy’s commercial trucking license was never pulled due to a backlog at the RMV in Massachusetts.

Parakilas said while it isn’t ideal, he may drop the Connecticut charges

Zhukovskyy is due back in Connecticut court on August 22.