A Princeton teenager has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an accident last October 8th that claimed the life of Lineville resident Saige Boswell.
Seventeen-year-old Elijah Charles Mandich of Princeton appeared Wednesday in Division One of Mercer County Circuit Court. He is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the first-degree. The defendant’s request to modify the cash bond was denied by Judge Jack Peace. Bond continues at $25,000 and Mandich was remanded to custody. His next appearance in court at Princeton is scheduled July 11th.
A probable cause statement filed in March accuses Mandich of driving a pickup truck southbound, at excessive speed, while allegedly traveling in the northbound lane of Highway 65 three miles north of Princeton. At the accident location, authorities have said a highway sign warned of a no passing zone.
A state troopers’ report further accuses Mandich of using a cellular device that allegedly distracted him from safely operating the pickup.