subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite map
 
December 11, 2000

Schlitts facing charge in fatal

Prosecutors say TC West star athlete was at fault in accident in which Deborah Graham died
By PATRICK SULLIVAN
Record-Eagle staff writer
       TRAVERSE CITY - A 17-year-old star athlete at Traverse City West Senior High was at fault in a crash that took the life of a 38-year-old Interlochen woman last month, prosecutors said.
      Robert William Schlitts, of Traverse City, faces a charge of negligent homicide in connection with the Nov. 2 crash. The charge carries up to two years in prison.
      Deborah Graham, a mother of two daughters who worked as a dispatcher for a trucking company, died in the accident. Her boyfriend, Robert Edward Worm, 37, also of Interlochen, suffered serious injuries but is recovering.
      Schlitts, a golfer who in October was named to the Record-Eagle "dream team" for his athletic ability, suffered a fractured leg and closed head injury in the accident.
      A semi driver told police Schlitts tailgated him as he headed north on M-37 and tried to pass him three times, twice pulling into the opposing lane and back to avoid oncoming traffic, according to the charges.
      On Schlitts' third attempt, he struck Graham's car, the semi driver said.
      Grand Traverse prosecutor Dennis LaBelle said Friday that circumstances of the accident show Schlitts was negligent.
      "He just wasn't driving with the proper awareness," LaBelle said. "His basic duty was to observe oncoming traffic."
      LaBelle said there are three levels of negligence in the law for drivers at fault in accidents - slight, ordinary and gross negligence. The most serious would warrant charges of manslaughter, a 15-year felony, and the least would lead to no criminal charges.
      Schlitts' case fell beyond ordinary negligence but didn't meet the standard for gross negligence, he said.
      Also Friday, LaBelle's office decided not to pursue charges against the driver in another recent fatal accident. Monica R. Kitchen, 36, of Traverse City, was killed Nov. 24 as she attempted to cross Division near Eighth Street.
      Kitchen, a contract employee of the Record-Eagle who was delivering newspapers, wore dark clothes and she was struck before dawn, LaBelle said. Investigators determined the 23-year-old woman who struck her may have been speeding slightly, but not enough to warrant charges.