NORTHAMPTON — A Belchertown man will face charges in a February car crash that killed well-known Amherst blogger Larry Kelley.
Ryan Fellion, 18, is scheduled to be arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown on Aug. 4 on a charge of negligent motor vehicle homicide. Fellion was allegedly behind the wheel of the vehicle that killed Kelley, 62, on Feb. 17. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum 2½-year jail sentence and a 15-year loss of license.
Police allege Fellion was driving west on Route 9 when his vehicle crossed over the center line and struck Kelley’s eastbound car nearly head-on near 299 Federal St., according to the Northwestern district attorney’s office.
Kelley was pronounced dead at the scene. Fellion and two passengers in his vehicle suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and were transported to Baystate Medical Center for treatment, according to the district attorney’s office.
Kelley was best known in Amherst for his blog, Only in the Republic of Amherst, where he kept close watch over town politics and breaking news events — and shared his own strong opinions. He was a member of Town Meeting and owned a karate studio in South Amherst for 28 years. He was a columnist at the Amherst Bulletin for 14 years, and once beat Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks in a martial arts fight.
Belchertown Police, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern district attorney’s office, MSP Crime Scene Services and MSP Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section investigated the collision.