LIGONIER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Police said the driver of a truck involved in a Westmoreland County crash that killed a 15-year-old high school student in March is now facing charges in connection with that fatal wreck.
"I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail," Brandon Behie said at the crash scene, according to Ligonier Township police Chief Mike Matrunics, who said Behie also admitted that he had been drinking.
Police said a group that included John Austin Blough, of Jenner Township, Somerset County, was driving home from a Britney Spears concert at Mellon Arena when their car was rear-ended on Route 30 by the 24-year-old Behie's pickup truck.
Blough died in the crash. He was a North Star High School freshman and a member of the football team and the junior varsity wrestling team.
A wooden cross, North Star Cougars flag and Converse shoes -- Blough's favorite -- remain as a makeshift memorial at the site of the crash.
Blough's mother coached cheerleading at the high school, while his father has been an active member of the school board.
"You try to just move on, which is real tough to do, but now it's coming in the forefront again. It's nice to have the closure for the family, but it sure brings back a lot of bad thoughts," said former football coach Stacy Schmitt.
Behie is facing charges that include speeding in a work zone, reckless driving, aggravated assault and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.
Behie's blood-alcohol level was more than twice Pennsylvania's legal limit of 0.08 percent, Matrunics told WTAE Channel 4's Jennifer Miele.
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