After three previous unsuccessful attempts to hold a trial for Joshua Brink, jury selection is scheduled for Monday for the 36-year-old Smicksburg man, who is charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI and related offenses in the August, 2021 death of 52-year-old Douglas Dalessio.
Brink is accused of being at the wheel of an SUV that veered off Barnard Road in West Mahoning Township, traveling up an embankment and striking Dalessio as he mowed his yard on a lawn tractor. Police said Brink fled the scene but was later apprehended.
The start of the trial follows a ruling by President Judge Thomas Bianco turning down Brink’s attempt to exclude autopsy photos from being introduced as evidence. In addition to homicide by vehicle while DUI, additional felony offenses include accidents involving death or injury, the same offense while driving unlicensed, and aggravated assault by vehicle. There are also five misdemeanors and five summary traffic violations as well.
