Shelby man charged with felony in connection to deadly crash.

Ryan Allen

Shelby man charged with felony in connection to deadly crash.

HART — The driver in a crash that resulted in the death of a 21-year-old Hart man, April 2, has been charged with a felony of reckless driving causing death, according to court records.

Ryan Joshua Allen, 21, of Shelby, is scheduled to appear in 78th District Court for a probable cause hearing Monday, June 6, at 3 p.m. His bail was set at $50,000/personal recognizance.

Hayden Zaverl, 21, died in the single-vehicle crash shortly after 12:30 a.m. on West Fish Road near South 44th Avenue in Benona Township.

Zaverl was among four passengers in a 2013 Ford F-150 pickup truck that went off the road “and hit a series of trees,” said Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast. Zaverl was a backseat passenger on the driver’s side. 

Allen and the three other passengers — Mackenzie Wagner, Courtnie Brown and Jillian Mitteer — were injured. Allen was airlifted from the scene by Aeromed and transported to Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids.

“When the incident occurred, the statements from those involved led law enforcement to believe there was likely to be alcohol detected in the driver,” said Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon. “Subsequently, Michigan State Police laboratory and hospital laboratory records indicate there was not a significant amount of alcohol in the system, and the evidence would not support a charge of operating while intoxicated causing death. The charges are based on what we believe the evidence will demonstrate.”

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