A Nesquehoning patrolman will face a homicide by vehicle charge in a fatal crash on Route 209 last May.

In addition, Steven Homanko, 26, of Beaver Meadows, faces charges of aggravated assault by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangering another person, reckless driving, careless driving, driving a vehicle at an unsafe speed and failure to drive on the right side of the roadway.The homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault charges are both felonies of the third degree.A felony of the third degree is punishable by up to 7 years in prison.State police and the state attorney general's office conducted a joint investigation.Homanko was arraigned Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in front of District Magistrate Casimir Kosciolek in Lansford.He was released on $100,000 unsecured bail.A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 13 at 1 p.m.Homanko told dispatchers he was attempting to stop a yellow Dodge Neon just before 6:30 p.m. on May 12, when he lost control of his 2009 Crown Victoria. The vehicle crossed over into the oncoming lane and crashed into an oncoming 2007 Toyota Yaris, killing 69-year-old Carola Sauers and severely injuring her husband, Michael, 64, who was the driver.The Sauerses were from Hazleton. Michael Sauers was a second-grade teacher in the Pleasant Valley School District. Carola, born in Germany, was a physical therapy assistant.The crash happened as Homanko, with the lights and siren activated, rounded a curve about one and one-half miles north of the intersection of routes 209 and 93, between Nesquehoning and Jim Thorpe."I just crashed. I just crashed ... I need medics," Homanko told dispatchers at 6:22 p.m., according to scanner reports.Homanko was taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, where he was treated and released.On May 28, 2014, Nesquehoning Borough Council placed Homanko on leave untili the completion of the investigation and he has not worked another shift since.A state police news release about the crash did not mention how fast Homanko was traveling.Michael Cardone of Lehighton, the passenger in the yellow Neon denied any chase. He told the Times News shortly after the accident that his girlfriend, who was driving the Neon and has yet to be identified, were not pursued until they were pulled over by Jim Thorpe police.Cardone and his girlfriend were given field sobriety tests and then released.State police were assisted at the crash by Lehighton, Jim Thorpe, Nesquehoning and Beaver Meadows police departments, as well as Nesquehoning, New Columbus and Jim Thorpe fire departments.Franklin Township, Kidder, Jim Thorpe and Summit Hill police were on-scene at the site of the traffic stop of the yellow Neon.