The man who struck and killed 25-year-old Cazenovia native Maegan Spindler with his minivan in Pickstown, S.D., on July 8 has been indicted by a Charles Mix County South Dakota Grand Jury on multiple counts of manslaughter, vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and faces life in prison if convicted.
Ronald Ray Fischer, 29, of Lake Andes, S.D. was indicted Wednesday, Aug. 7, by a Charles Mix County Grand Jury, South Dakota State Attorney General Marty Jackley and Charles Mix County States Attorney Thomas Deadrick announced on Aug. 8.
Fischer was indicted on two counts of first degree manslaughter, class C felony, each carrying a maximum sentence life imprisonment and/or $50,000 fine; two counts of vehicular homicide, class 3 felony, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and/or $30,000 fine; one count of driving or control of vehicle with alcohol in the blood or while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, class 1 misdemeanor and one count of ingesting non-alcoholic substance to become intoxicated, class 1 misdemeanor.
The charges stem from an incident that involved a vehicle crash in which Fischer failed to stop his Chrysler Town and Country minivan at a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 18 and Highway 46 near Pickstown, continued into a hotel parking lot and hit and killed Spindler and one of her co-workers in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Fischer turned himself in to police on July 23, four days after a warrant was issued for his arrest by a Charles Mix County court. He appeared in Charles Mix County Court on July 25, was appointed a public defender by the court and ordered held on $200,000 cash bond.
Fischer originally was charged only with charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, although Deadrick previously told the Cazenovia Republican he was not ruling out additional charges.
Spindler’s parents, Gregg and Susan Spindler, of Cazenovia, previously said in a released statement that they expected further charges to be brought against Fischer.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
