Witness: Louis Weihbrecht went ‘full-throttle’ with truck, killing man

WILKES-BARRE — Video footage showed Louis Max Weihbrecht lurching his Chevrolet Silverado before he struck and ran over Mark Reginald Svadeba outside an auto-repair garage on North Main Street, Plains Township, on Sept. 13.

The two men were engaged in an argument over a woman before the auto-repair garage owner, Louis Giomboni, testified Weihbrecht, 56, went “full-throttle” and ran over and dragged Svadeba, 47, about 30 feet onto North Main Street.

Svadeba died at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.

Prosecutors allege Weihbrecht intentionally struck Svadeba with the truck charging him with an open count of criminal homicide.

After nearly a one hour preliminary hearing held at the Luzerne County Courthouse Friday, District Judge Joseph Spagnuolo of Plains Township determined Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle established a case, sending the criminal homicide charge to county court.

A charge of flight to avoid apprehension was dismissed after legal arguments by Weihbrecht’s attorney, John B. Pike.

Giomboni testified he was at his auto-repair garage with another mechanic working on a vehicle. As Giomboni and the other mechanic backed up the vehicle they were working on outside, Giomboni said Weihbrecht showed up in his white pickup-truck and immediately engaged in an argument with Svadeba.

Svadeba was at the garage as he was instructing Giomboni how to weld.

Giomboni said during the argument, Weihbrecht “lurched” his truck several times at Svadeba before he went “full-throttle” running over Svadeba.

Giomboni said he began running yelling, “Stop, stop, stop, he’s under the truck.”

Weihbrecht briefly stopped, and backed up running over Svadeba a second time before speeding away towards Wilkes-Barre, Giomboni said.

Surveillance cameras at Giomboni’s garage recorded the incident as footage was played for Spagnuolo.

Wilkes-Barre police Det. James Fisher was the second and last witness to testify, saying he was working a police detail near downtown Wilkes-Barre when heard the BOLO (Be on the lookout) for a white truck that identified Weihbrecht as the driver just after 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 13.

Fisher said he is familiar with Weihbrecht, who owns and lives above the Outsiders Bar on South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre.

Fisher said he waited about two hours and called Weihbrecht. Several hours after leaving a message, Weihbrecht returned the call telling Fisher, “he killed someone, it was an accident.”

After Weihbrecht told Fisher he wanted to meet with a priest, he surrendered to Fisher at Kirby Park.

As Weihbrecht was driven to the Plains Township Police Department, Fisher said he did not ask any questions but Weihbrecht kept repeating, “It was an accident, it was an accident.”

Pike argued Weihbrecht intended to strike Svadeba’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle but Svadeba stepped in front of the the truck.

Weihbrecht remains jailed at the county correctional facility without bail.