PORTLAND — The driver in a crash that killed a St. Joseph’s College student in April pleaded not guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday.
Tyler Hall, 19, of Pittston also entered not-guilty pleas in Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court to charges of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. He remains free on $1,000 bail.
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Clark Noonan, 20, of Bangor was killed in the crash April 14 in Standish. Authorities said Hall’s Mazda 626 was going at a high speed when he lost control of it and went off the road between Route 114 and White Rock Road.
The car rolled several times and landed in a chain-link fence. Noonan was thrown from the vehicle.
Hall, who was accompanied by his parents in court Tuesday, declined to comment. His lawyer, Walter McKee, said he has an overwhelming amount of information to review before a decision can be made about whether to go to trial.
“Mr. Hall feels terrible about what happened,” McKee said. “His friend died the night of this accident.”
Two other students, James Philbrook of Auburn and Terence Cullen of Sully, Iowa, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Three others who are charged in the crash were arraigned Tuesday. All pleaded not guilty.
Taylor Renee Swart, 19, of Berwick is charged with reckless conduct. Swart, Noonan’s girlfriend, was driving a second car that was going back to campus from elsewhere in Standish.
Paul Aranson, Swart’s lawyer, said she had nothing to do with Noonan’s death. She had no alcohol in her system and was the designated driver.
Jacob Brown, 22, and Zachary Johnson, 21, both of Westbrook, face charges of furnishing a place to allow minors to possess or consume liquor. The lawyers for Brown and Johnson, who were roommates at the time, dispute the state’s theory that they hosted a party where minors may have drank.
Swart, Brown and Johnson are free on personal recognizance.
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