Police: Man charged in fatal motorcycle crash says he had two beers before crash

A Columbus man accused in the Nov. 4 fatal motorcycle crash on Floyd Road had two beers before the crash at Booth Street, a police officer testified Wednesday in Recorder’s Court.

Daniel Voss, 58, pleaded not guilty to one count of homicide by vehicle first degree, driving under the influence and following too closely in the 4:38 p.m. crash at Booth Street that left 72-year-old Bobby Francis of Columbus dead. After a request from patrol officer Garrett Williams, Judge Julius Hunter set no bond on the DUI and homicide by vehicle charges and bound the cases over to Superior Court.

Officer Charles Daugherty told the court that Voss has six DUI convictions dating back to 1986, including the last conviction this year on the sixth charge. The convictions were for offenses occurring in Columbus and Harris County in Georgia and the state of Alabama.

Daugherty said Voss was southbound on Floyd Road in a pickup truck while Francis was stopped in the southbound lane with his blinkers on to make a left turn onto booth Street. For some unknown reason, the front bumper of Voss’ 2004 F-250 Ford pickup struck the rear of the 2005 Honda VTX 1300 driven by Francis.

The impact knocked the victim from the motorcycle. Daugherty said the lights were still blinking on the victim’s motorcycle when he arrived on the scene.

Susan Henderson, the attorney representing the suspect, questioned Daugherty on conditions the day of the crash. The officer said it was clear , 72 degrees and the road was straight.

Williams was called to the scene to talk to Voss who was found sitting on the tailgate of his truck. After the officer directed Voss to walk to a nearby parking lot, Williams said the man smelled of alcohol and he was swaying while standing. A field sobriety was conducted on Voss at the scene and he failed the test.

Voss did admit to the officer that he drank two 12-ounce cans of Budweiser beers during the day. A blood test was ordered but results are still pending at the crime lab, Williams said.

After Voss said he didn’t want to talk anymore about the crash and drinking, Williams said the man blurted out that “he was going to prison.”

After the hearing, Henderson said she wasn’t surprised Voss was denied a bond. “I understand the judge’s ruling and I can’t say I disagree with it at this time,” she said.

She said a judge can put whatever conditions he wants on a case. It’s not just the driving factor but Henderson also said the victim’s family was in the courtroom and deserve their day in court. “Given the history, I understand,” Henderson said. “ There is a lot more to his case a than six prior DUIs.”

Police announced information on the previous DUI charges shortly after the crash. Henderson said the information is admissible in court under the right circumstances to make it part of the evidence.

“My heart goes out to the victim’s family and friends,” she said. “ Mr Voss is devastated by what has occurred. I’m sure that the community heard the six DUIs and that’s all they heard. There also is a human being in there that is devastated by what happened on that day.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Police: Man charged in fatal motorcycle crash says he had two beers before crash."