Shiloh Skalka was riding her e-bike along Locust Street on July 16 when she reached its T-intersection with Pine Street. The 16-year-old pressed a button to activate the flashing amber lights that signal to drivers someone is crossing the street. She waited three seconds and then entered the crosswalk on her bike.
A few seconds later, according to police, Douglas Knapp, 79, ran her over with his black Dodge Grand Caravan. Skalka, who was wearing a helmet, later died.
The chain of events was outlined in a police affidavit made public on Thursday after Knapp, a well-known local folk artist, pleaded not guilty to a charge of negligent operation with death resulting.
The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $3,000 fine. A judge granted a request from prosecutors that Knapp be prohibited from driving while the case proceeds.
Police used video footage from nearby buildings to calculate that Knapp had about 150 feet to stop from the time that Skalka first activated the pedestrian lights, according to the affidavit from Detective Corporal Padric Hartnett.
But Knapp, who police estimate was driving a few miles per hour over Pine Street’s 25 mph speed limit, does not appear to have hit the brakes until just before hitting Skalka, the charging documents say.
“An attentive, prudent and careful operator would have yielded,” Hartnett wrote.
Knapp told responding officers that he did not remember seeing the flashing lights. He said it seemed Skalka was in front of him all of a sudden. He denied having consumed alcohol.
Two weeks after the crash, Hartnett tried to interview Knapp. Knapp declined, citing the advice of his attorney, although he did tell the detective that he was not using his cellphone at the time of the crash, stating that it was back at his studio.
It is unclear from the charging documents whether police independently verified this. Hartnett referred questions to the chief, who did not immediately respond.
Skalka was a rising junior at Burlington High School. At a vigil ride held in her honor earlier this month, her father, Christian, called her “beautiful and righteous” and said she “loved to ride her bike and watch the world go by.”
Her parents attended Thursday’s hearing alongside more than a dozen friends and fellow cyclists. They declined to speak to the media afterward.
Knapp provided a brief statement through his attorney, Austin Howard, who extended his client’s condolences to Skalka’s family and said the defense’s investigation was “just beginning.”
“Mr. Knapp looks forward to engaging in the process and letting that process play out,” Howard said.
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