The central Iowa cycling community will be watching Monday as a vehicular homicide trial starts for an Urbandale man accused of killing a well-known bike store manager while driving drunk.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday in the case against Jonathan Leyva, 32, who also faces charges of operating while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident stemming from the Aug. 16 collision that killed Gregary Wade Franck, a manager at Kyle's Bike Shop in Ankeny.
A preliminary breath test done after the crash showed Leyva's blood alcohol concentration at .213, more than twice the legal limit to drive.
Franck, 41, was a recognizable face to many Iowa cyclists because of his job at the shop,said Scott Sumpter, the founder ofBikeIowa.com. He expects the courtroom will be filled each day with Franck's family and friends.
"You want justice to be served, for one," he said. "To me, it's really above and beyond a normal bicycle-motorist tragedy … The guy is how many times the legal limit, flying down Grand Avenue on a Sunday morning. It could have been anybody."
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