YORK COUNTY, Va. — During a preliminary hearing Monday for Robert Strickland, four witnesses took the stand, three of them were Strickland's employees, including Alexander Crosby's step-father.
They all said they worked for Strickland at Heritage Gardens Tree and Lawn Care Specialists on October 25th.
During court testimony, three of the four witnesses said that they were all leaving a job site when the accident happened that killed Brian Utne. One of the witnesses was Troy Turpen.
“I crossed the street, saw the bike, victim, blood everywhere,” Turpen said.
One witness testified that Crosby told him that same night he hit somebody. Court documents and witness testimony revealed that Strickland, who is the owner and operator of Heritage Gardens Tree and Lawn Care Specialists, took proactive steps to conceal and alter evidence by meeting with Crosby that night to have his truck towed away and repaired.
Turpen, including two of the other witnesses, admitted before a judge that Strickland told all employees to stick to the same story, that Crosby hit a deer.
Strickland's attorney Brent Bohannon said he didn’t think the Commonwealth’s case was strong, and that Crosby lied to his client.
“My client maintains his innocence, he was lied to,” Bohannon said. “He was told Crosby hit a deer.”
Investigators said on October 25th, Crosby hit bicyclist Brian Utne with his truck. Friends described Utne as a leader in the cycling community. Deputies arrested Crosby November 9th. They arrested Robert Strickland on November 14.
A grand jury will look at Strickland's felony charges and decide whether to indict him on that one. Crosby waived his right for a preliminary hearing. His trial date is not set at this time.