E-bike rider gets probation after police say he ignored order to avoid crash scene

A Greensburg e-bike rider pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of disorderly conduct after police said he stumbled into and refused to leave the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash in Hempfield this summer.

Jonathan V. Mezeivtch, 35, was sentenced to one year of probation. He was charged after police said he ignored their instructions to avoid the July 31 crash scene on College Avenue, where 19-year-old Adam Lynch of Jeannette was killed.

Mezeivtch, who represented himself in court, said he never intended to disobey police. He said he swerved to avoid traffic and inadvertently intruded upon the scene after he crashed there and was injured.

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was stressed and upset because my bike was ruined and I was injured,” Mezeivtch said.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dismissed one count of obstruction of justice.

Police said Lynch died from his injuries after he was struck by an unidentified driver of a Kia Rio near the North Greengate Road intersection. No one has been charged with causing Lynch’s death.

The Kia’s owner, James S. Grady II of Jeannette, was charged this week in connection with allegations that he refused to listen to commands and tried to avoid being handcuffed as police searched his home on August 1. Police said they identified Grady’s vehicle based on debris found at the crash site and license plate information.