Seattle, WA – The man accused of hitting a Seattle City Council aide with his car in a West Seattle crosswalk 14 months ago went on trial in Seattle Municipal Court, he is being charged with assault in his death.
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On trial in front of Seattle Municipal Judge George Holifield, is Ephraim Schwartz, a rabbi. He was driving his 12- year-old daughter to school on a November morning in 2006, apparently talking on his cell phone, when he hit Matthew "Tatsuo" Nakata at 47th Avenue Southwest and Admiral Way.
"There were no skid marks; he never saw him," city prosecutor Kevin Kilpatrick said.
Schwartz was driving his 1991 Oldsmobile at about the 30-mph speed limit.
Nakata, 29, suffered severe head injuries in the accident and broken bones including a broken leg. He died later at Harborview Medical Center.
Kilpatrick said that Schwartz violated "seven different rules of the road," and the charges carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Schwartz's lawyer is expected to argue, that he is being singled out for prosecution because of political pressure, and he will show bias against his client because of Nakata's ties to City Hall. The city, "is out to get Rabbi Schwartz," he said. [seattlepi]