A Westmoreland County prosecutor told a judge Wednesday he could not recommend withdrawing a felony vehicular homicide charge against a Penn Township man.

Assistant District Attorney Allen Powanda said he learned minutes before Chad Gregorini was to plead guilty to lesser charges that the victim’s three adult children objected to the proposed deal, which would have dismissed the most serious charge in connection with the Route 30 crash Jan. 21 that killed Kenneth Youngerman, 77, of North Huntingdon.

“I am reluctant to make this recommendation without the unanimous agreement from the family,” Powanda said.

Gregorini is charged with vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless endangerment and summary traffic offenses after he rear-ended an SUV, which was stopped in the road as Hilda Youngerman attempted a left turn onto Edwin Drive.

Police said Gregorini was driving about 53 mph in a 40 mph zone. Kenneth Youngerman, a front-seat passenger, died from injuries he sustained in the crash. Hilda Youngerman was hospitalized but has recovered.

Powanda said Hilda Youngerman had asked that Gregorini not be prosecuted for her husband’s death. That request came after investigators who reviewed the crash concluded Gregorini was distracted and did not take evasive actions, according to the prosecutor.

“I am more than willing to litigate the charges that were filed,” Powanda said, who noted that Hilda Youngerman and her private lawyer negotiated a civil settlement with Gregorini. Before Wednesday, he believed the victim’s family was in unanimous agreement about the proposed guilty plea.

Defense attorney Lee Demofsky said Gregorini was ready to enter the plea to put the incident behind him and opposed a delay in the case — a move he said could ultimately see the case sent back to a district judge for a preliminary hearing.

“If it is remanded, the case could take a couple of years before we reach a jury,” Demofsky said.

Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said she cannot force prosecutors to dismiss charges and pushed to have Powanda discuss the case with the Youngerman’s children in an attempt to resuscitate the proposed plea deal.

Gregorini is slated to appear again before the judge Jan. 27.

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