On Monday May 11, 2015 at 1:32 PM Suffield Township Road Department employee William "Willie" Knapp was struck by a pickup on Swartz Road, just east of State Route 43, while he and other Road Department employees were doing crack sealing on the roadway. Suffield Township Fire Department EMS transported William Knapp to Akron City Hospital where he died from his injuries.
William Knapp, age 60, had been working part time for the township since July 2013, after 38 years of dedicated service with the Portage County Engineer's Office. The accident is under further investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol. A moment of silence was taken at the Suffield Township Trustee's meeting on May 12, where Trustee Chairman Thomas E. Calcei characterized Knapp as a great worker and a valued member of the Road Department. The trustees conveyed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the Knapp family.
William's family received friends on Saturday May 16, 2015 at the Riverwood Community Chapel, 1407 Fairchild Road, Kent, and celebrated his life in a service following the calling hours. They asked that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made in William's name to the Riverwood Community Chapel.
Update - October 24, 2015
On Thursday October 15, 2015 Samantha M. Moseley was indicted by the Portage County Grand Jury on several charges in relation to this accident that killed William Knapp. The Grand Jury passed down an indictment for two counts of Vehicular Homocide (one a second degree felony and one a third degree felony) and two counts of OVI (Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence). The OVI's are misdemeanors of the first degree. The indictment alleges that Samantha M. Moseley operated her truck recklessly while under the influence of drugs. It has been reported that in the Ravenna Record Courier that "tests showed that Moseley was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash".
The case has been assigned to Judge Laurie J. Pittman's Common Pleas Court, where Moseley appeared on October 23rd and where bond was set at $1,000,000 P.R. Moseley is due to return to court for a pre-trial on December 17, 2015. A jury trial is set for December 22, 2015.