A former Crafton police officer pleaded guilty this morning to a fatal 2007 hit-and-run pedestrian accident on West Carson Street in the South Side.

Donnie Breeden, 39, must serve one to two years in state prison as part of a plea agreement with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office.

David Hall, 24, of Moon, was struck by Mr. Breeden's sport-utility vehicle about 11:45 p.m. on July 20, 2007, as he attempted to cross the street in front of a bus. Mr. Breeden, who had been to dinner with his friends and was headed to a South Side bar, stopped his vehicle, and his attorney said, stayed on the scene for nine or 10 minutes before fleeing.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Berquist said Mr. Breeden immediately called his friends from the scene and told them he thought he hit someone. When they all gathered there, Mr. Berquist told the court that the defendant said, "'I don't know if I hit him or not. I'm a cop. I can't go down for this.'"

Defense attorney Williams Difenderfer said that it was not his client who made that statement, but his friends.

Mr. Breeden and his friends fled the scene, and the investigation remained open for nearly two years, until city homicide detectives received a tip in the case.

An arrest was made July 3, 2009.

Mr. Difenderfer told Judge Edward J. Borkowski that had his client not fled the scene, he believes there would have been no charges filed.

"He feels extremely remorseful for the victim in this case," he said. "He never saw him coming. This was a pure accident."

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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