Arrest in Columbia County fatal crash that claimed life of Shavertown man

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JACKSON TWP, COLUMBIA CTY. — A man from Carbon County was arrested over the weekend for causing a drunken fatal crash that killed a 22-year-old man from Shavertown, Luzerne County.

Craig William Evans, 24, of Summit Hill, was illegally passing vehicles while traveling west on state Route 118 when he struck a motorcycle head-on on July 3, according to court records.

The motorcyclist, Michael Antonio Company, 22, died at the scene, Pennsylvania State Police at Bloomsburg reported.

Company, a Lake Lehman High School graduate Class of 2020, was traveling east on Route 118 when he was struck by Evans’ vehicle, a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu.

Evans was arraigned Saturday by District Judge Russel L. Lawton in Columbia County on charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, driving under the influence and 11 traffic citations. Evans was jailed at the Columbia County Prison for lack of $75,000 bail.

According to the criminal complaint:

Evans was traveling west on Route 118 at a high rate of speed and turned into the eastbound lane to pass vehicles when he struck Company’s motorcycle head-on in the area of Mountain Road just after 3 p.m. July 3.

A state police trooper detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Evans as he was being evaluated at the scene by emergency medical technicians, the complaint says.

Evans denied having anything to drink and claimed he had not had an alcoholic beverage in weeks.

State police in the complaint say Evans related he was traveling approximately 80 to 90 mph and attempted to pass a vehicle when he noticed the motorcycle and attempted to swerve.

After the head-on crash, the complaint says, Evans claimed he grabbed a backpack from his vehicle.

State police in the complaint say the backpack contained two White Claw hard seltzer cans. Near the crash site, another White Claw can was found including a half-empty bottle of Vodka, the complaint says.

Evans was transported to Geisinger Medical Center in Bloomsburg where he submitted to a blood test.