Drunk driver sentenced to 3-6 months in jail for crash that killed Harrison Township girl
The man who was driving drunk during a crash that killed a young girl in Harrison Township nearly two years ago has been sentenced to 3 to 6 months of jail time.
Jeffrey Glowatski, 65, pleaded guilty late last year to driving under the influence and careless driving stemming from a 2024 deadly crash along Kuntz Street when 11-year-old Roxanne Bonnoni was hit while crossing the street. She died at the scene.
On Wednesday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward Borkowski sentenced Glowatski to 3 to 6 months in jail along with a $500 fine and probation and parole requirements.
Investigators said that Glowatski was slurring his speech at the scene of the crash with later tests revealing a blood alcohol level that was nearly double the legal limit to drive.
Glowatski was charged with driving under the influence and other traffic violations approximately one year after the crash occurred.
Police said that video surveillance showed Glowatski drinking as many 12 beers in a five-hour period at an American Legion and at a bar before the crash happened.
Fred Rabner, the Bonnoni family's lawyer, said the sentencing gave closure.
"Yesterday wasn't about an amount of time or a jail sentence," Rabner said. "It was about closure for a family and that closure came in their ability to give statements and to share all the positive things about the light of their life," Rabner said.
Attorney explains why there was no homicide charge
Many have questioned why Jeffrey Glowatski was not charged with homicide and instead faced DUI and careless driving charges. Glowatski's attorney, David Shrager, explains it came down to evidence that wasn't there.
"They have to be able to prove that the DUI is what specifically caused the death, meaning that had a person been completely sober, could that accident and death still have occurred?" Shrager said.
According to investigators, Bonnoni, who was hearing impaired, was crossing the street when she was hit. Shrager said investigators could not prove anything would have happened differently had Glowatski been sober. Glowatski now faces the maximum sentence for a DUI charge.
"The judge had to deal with the fact that this was the first time this individual encountered the criminal justice system, but at the same time, he gave him the absolute max that he could give him for a DUI," Rabner said.
Rabner said if murder had been charged, every element would have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
"So what's better? Gassing the family up that we're going to get pitchforks out and go after this guy for murder and fail and have a big loss?" Rabner said.
Focus shifts to accountability
Both Rabner and Shrager say the district attorney's yearlong investigation and charges reflect the evidence. But now the focus is shifted.
"What's the accountability for a bar that is serving someone that they know is coming in there intoxicated and they know they're a day drinker every day?" Rabner said. "There's not a lot of day drinkers that are coming in every day unless you're an alcoholic, hello!"
Boots and the American Legion were two of the places Glowatski was seen drinking. Rabner is asking the public to come forward if there were other establishmments involed as they pursue accountability. Legal action is already happening against the two
"Boots has no insurance, can you imagine that? There's a bar running an establishment in our community here in Pittsburgh that doesn't have insurance for this type of loss," Rabner said. "I don't know what's going to happen to them."
In the aftermath of the deadly crash, Roxanne Bonnoni was remembered as one of The DePaul School for Hearing and Speech's beloved students.
"She was an integral part of our DePaul family since she was 3 years old, known for her boundless imagination, love of storytelling, and the joy she brought to everyone around her," the school wrote.
