Virginia man pleads guilty to causing fatal crash in Donegal Township

A Virginia man will serve up to eight years in prison for causing a fatal crash in Donegal Township that killed his friend five years ago.

Erik Carlton Anderson, 30, pleaded guilty this week to charges of homicide by vehicle while driving drunk and driving while intoxicated.

Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani sentenced Anderson to serve three to eight years in prison and two additional years on probation. Charges of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and other summary traffic offenses were dismissed.

Police said Anderson was drunk on Aug. 15, 2015, when his 2006 Mazda 6 veered into the opposite lane at the crest of a hill on County Line Road, struck trees and an embankment, and landed on its roof. Anderson’s friend, Robert P. Ballance, 23, also of Virginia, was thrown from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.

According to court records, Anderson told police that he was driving from Seven Springs to Hidden Valley when he swerved to miss an animal on the road.

Police said Anderson’s blood-alcohol content was 0.17%, more more than twice the legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania.

Anderson remained free on $50,000 bond prior to his guilty plea. His case languished in the court system for the last four years because of a series of delays and pretrial motions filed by the defense and, most recently, the coronavirus pandemic.

Feliciani last year ruled that prosecutors could introduce evidence that Anderson was convicted of driving under the influence in Virginia. But prosecutors were not allowed to present evidence regarding Anderson’s no contest plea or any facts about case.