At 6:21 p.m. May 12, 2014, part-time Nesquehoning patrolman Steven Homanko was chasing a Dodge Neon, heading toward Jim Thorpe and pushing his 2009 Crown Victoria to 113 mph in the 55 mph zone on Route 209 in Nesquehoning.

Two minutes later, Homanko lost control of the cruiser and crashed into an oncoming small car driven by second-grade teacher Michael Sauers, 64, whose wife, Carola Sauers, 69, a physical therapy assistant, sat next to him in the passenger seat."I just crashed. I just crashed ... I need medics," Homanko told dispatchers, according to scanner reports.Carola died of her injuries a short time later; Michael lay in a hospital bed for a month, undergoing multiple surgeries.At 8:30 a.m. May 6, six days short of the one-year anniversary of the crash, Homanko was arraigned before District Judge Casimir Kosciolek of Lansford on felony vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, felony aggravated assault by vehicle, and related charges, and released on $100,000 unsecured bail, meaning he did not have to post cash or property to remain free.Efforts to reach Homanko, of 40 Third St., Beaver Meadows, have been unsuccessful.Homanko, 26, had been hired by the borough 10 months earlier, in July 2013. He also worked part-time for the McAdoo police department.Nesquehoning Police Chief Sean Smith turned the investigation of the crash over to state police.Cpl. Shawn Noonan handled the investigation.In an affidavit of probable cause, Noonan wrote that Homanko told him in a March 15 interview that he "believed he never exceeded 70 mph" during the chase. He was asked several times about his speed, and each time said he did not recall going faster than 70 mph.Noonan also wrote that Homanko's cruiser was equipped with a video camera that automatically activated when the lights and sirens came on. The camera began recording as Homanko sat on Route 93. It showed a yellow Neon, heading north, passing a truck at the intersection with Route 209 at 6:21:19 p.m.The video shows Homanko turning left onto Route 209, also heading north. He radioed the Carbon County Communications Center, asking Jim Thorpe police to go to the area known as "the Liberties," the first exit off Route 209 for three miles, as he was trying to stop the Neon.Sixteen seconds later, "The footage then abruptly stops," Noonan wrote.Later, Homanko would tell Noonan he had no explanation as to why the recording stopped."He did acknowledge that the (video recorder) was designed to record once the emergency lights were activated and he claimed that he did not shut the (device) off," Noonan wrote.A security camera at Kreitz Automotive at the intersection showed the same sequence of events.At 6:22 p.m., Homanko radioed the communications center again, this time to tell them he had crashed and needed help.Cpl. Todd Tolan, who reconstructed the crash, reported that Homanko was driving at 113 mph at the time. There was nothing on the road that would have caused the crash, and the cruiser was in good working order."While traveling at that speed, Homanko lost control of his vehicle and traveled into the opposite lane of travel, striking the vehicle occupied by Michael and Carola Sauers. As a direct result of this collision, Carola Sauers suffered fatal injuries and Michael Sauers suffered serious, life-threatening, life-altering injuries," Tolan wrote.Noonan interviewed five witnesses, some of whom described the yellow Neon as speeding north on Route 209, with the cruiser, traveling even faster, some distance behind it.The driver of the truck that was passed by the Neon said a short time later, he saw the cruiser behind him, lights and sirens on. The Neon was ahead, and he told police it was possible the driver was unaware the cruiser was behind her.Noonan confronted Homanko with the witnesses' statements."He denied driving or operating a vehicle in a careless or unsafe manner ... prior to the collision," Noonan wrote.The driver of the Neon, Deanna Przewoznik, told police she was unaware she was being pursued until she was pulled over by Jim Thorpe police. She was not charged with any offenses relating to the incident.On March 15, Noonan interviewed Homanko, who was with his attorney. Homanko said he saw the Neon illegally pass two vehicles, turned around to follow it and asked Jim Thorpe police to stop the Neon.He later admitted he had been on Route 93 near the intersection, and that he had stopped another vehicle for an equipment violation.Homanko said he "went around a curve, the rear end of his vehicle kicked out and that his car spun clockwise and that the back end ended up striking the front end of the Sauerses' red Toyota Yaris.Homanko said he went to check on the couple and talked with them until ambulance crews arrived.