Out-of-County Justice Request Granted in Former County Prosecutor's Hit-And-Run Case

MEDIA–On Tuesday morning, President Judge Joseph Cronin ruled that a visiting magisterial district justice from another county would preside in the preliminary hearing for the former prosecutor with the Delaware County District Attorney's Office for his alleged involvement in the hit-and-run accident of a 14-year-old Havertown teenager. 

In Courtroom 12 in the county’s government building in Media, Deputy Attorney General Joe McGettigan originally asked Cronin that he would like one judge to preside in the preliminary hearing and possible trial for 31-year-old Michael Donohue, who was a prosecutor for the DA’s office, but has since resigned after he allegedly struck 14-year-old Jake Vantrieste in a that left the Havertown teenager in critical condition. 

However, Donohue’s lawyer, William Davis, objected to the notion after Cronin told him to consider the pros and cons of having one judge to oversee the preliminary hearing and a possible trial. Donohue, a Havertown resident, was not present at Tuesday’s hearing.

Eventually, Cronin ruled to have a visiting magisterial district justice from another county, who would meet with council to discuss a date for the preliminary hearing, and to have an out-of-county visiting common pleas judge to preside over a trial should there be one. 

Cronin did tell council that he would make a request Tuesday with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts to have two judges for the Donohue case. 

Both Davis and McGettigan declined to speak to the media after the ruling.

with aggravated assault, simple assault, leaving the scene of an accident and other related charges for his alleged involvement in the accident.