Court Appearance For Teen Involved In Deadly Crash At Stony Creek

MACOMB COUNTY (WWJ) - A Shelby Township teen will appear in court Thursday on charges he handed over his keys to a drunk driver -- shortly before a crash that killed three friends.

His attorney James Lawrence says Gregory Bobchick did not know driver Jonathan Manolios had been drinking when he handed over keys to his Jaguar and has suffered enough.

"He has serious physical injuries that limit what he can do and he has titanium plates in his head, he suffered the trauma of seeing some of his friends killed," said Lawrence.

Lawrence says that 17-year-old Bobchick did not purchase any alcohol and "didn't have anything to do with any drinking that might have taken place from the driver," adding, "that the car was not filled with alcohol there was beer in the trunk."

Police say that Manolios had a blood-alcohol level of .08 and had been driving in the wrong direction before crashing into a guardrail in the spring.

Bobchick's alcohol level was .02 and he and fellow survivor, Joseph Narra, are also charged as minors in possession of alcohol.

On May 8, according to a police investigation, the Jaguar — carrying five passengers was traveling at a "high rate of speed" in the park before colliding with a guardrail and rolling over into Stony Creek River. Four of the passengers were ejected, one was wearing a seatbelt.

Gregory Bobchick could get up to three months in jail and a $500 fine on the charges related to the crash at Stony Creek in May.

Along with Manolios, of Sterling Heights, Emanuel Malaj, 17, of Sterling Heights and Michael Wells, 17, of Macomb Township also died.