DORSET, Vt. (AP) 鈥� A driver accused of causing a crash that killed Treat Williams knew the actor and considered him a friend but denied wrongdoing and said charges are not warranted.
Ryan Koss, the managing creative director of the Dorset Theatre Festival in Vermont, said he knew Williams for years as a member of the tight-knit community, as well as a fellow theater member. He said he was devastated by Williams' death and offered his 鈥渟incerest condolences鈥� to the actor's family. 鈥淚 considered him a friend,鈥� Koss said.
Koss, 35, of Dorset, issued a statement Friday evening, three days after being for grossly negligent operation causing death. He was ordered to appear in court in September to be formally charged.
A Vermont State Police investigation concluded Koss鈥� vehicle pulled in front of Williams鈥� motorcycle on June 12 in Dorset, but Koss said he鈥檚 鈥渃onfident the facts will show I obeyed all relevant traffic laws, and the state鈥檚 charges are unwarranted.鈥�
Williams, 71, of Manchester Center, was pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center in New York.
Richard Treat Williams starred in the TV series 鈥淓verwood鈥� and the movie 鈥淗air.鈥� He appeared in more than 120 TV and film roles, including the movies 鈥淭he Eagle Has Landed,鈥� 鈥淧rince of the City鈥� and 鈥淥nce Upon a Time in America.鈥�
