PA - Michael Harmer, 26, killed in hit & run, Scranton, 28 Aug 2016 *Arrest*

When Scranton police arrested Gill in August 2016, they say he admitted snorting heroin, sniffing cocaine and smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel.

Investigators say Gill hit a 26-year-old father who was riding his bicycle to go and see his young son.

The victim, Michael Harmer, was 26 years old. He was a young father.

While he faces the mandatory minimum sentence of at least three years in prison, he could face a maximum of 17 years behind bars.

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A 58-year-old Scranton man who admitted he’d used heroin, cocaine and marijuana before hitting and killing a bicyclist nearly two years ago was sentenced to six to 12 years in a state prison, Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell said.

Thomas A. Gill, who lived at 1007 Green Ridge St. before his arrest, faced a mandatory minimum of three years for the August 2016 death of 26-year-old Michael Harmer.

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Family and friends of victim Michael Harmer embraced Monday outside the Lackawanna County Courthouse following the sentencing hearing.

They hope their pain can be a lesson to others.

"Impaired driving is never an accident. It's not. You chose to pick that up, you chose to get behind the wheel," Joseph Keller, the father's victim said.

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Lackawanna County Judge Terrence Nealon entered the verdict after hearing testimony from several family members of Michael Harmer, 26, of Pittston, who died after he was struck by a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Thomas Anthony Gill on Aug. 28, 2016.

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In an interview, Dempsey acknowledged there’s little chance the family will recover any of the damages from Gill, who was uninsured. He said he plans to seek to recover the verdict from Jordan’s insurance carrier, although there is a dispute over whether Jordan’s policy was active at the time of the incident.

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