A 24-year-old Wallkill man turned himself in to New York State Police three weeks after a hit-and-run crash on Route 212 in Saugerties killed a 51-year-old motorcyclist known throughout the local mechanic community. Chase Godwin reported to the State Police Kingston barracks on August 7 and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a Class D felony, in connection with the crash that killed Scott E. Richter of Mount Marion.
According to Newport Dispatch, troopers from the Kingston barracks responded to a motor vehicle collision report on Route 212 on July 16 at approximately 8:53 p.m. Richter was riding a 2004 Kawasaki motorcycle westbound on Route 212 and was attempting to make a left turn onto Kings Highway when a 2013 Honda traveling eastbound continued through the intersection in violation of a traffic control device, striking his motorcycle. The Honda's operator continued eastbound without stopping and fled the scene into the Village of Saugerties, per the same account.
The collision ejected Richter onto the roadway and caused his motorcycle to spin multiple times, the outlet reports. He sustained serious injuries and was transported to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston. Richter died on July 24 as a result of injuries sustained in the crash, according to the report.
Investigators Track Down the Fleeing Driver
Investigators identified Godwin and the 2013 Honda as involved in the collision, the article notes. Godwin reported to the Kingston barracks on August 7 and was arraigned that day in Kingston City Court, where he was charged with operator leave scene of accident or injury resulting in death. Kingston City Court released him on his own recognizance, according to the same reporting.
That release, despite the fatal outcome, reflects how New York's bail statutes treat this charge. Class D felony charges for leaving the scene of a fatal accident under VTL § 600(2)(a) are categorized as non-violent offenses that are generally non-bail eligible, according to the New York State Bar Association, which means judges are generally required to release defendants on their own recognizance or non-monetary conditions absent specific statutory exceptions. Official New York State Police records show Godwin's arrest was logged at 10:16 a.m. on August 7 at Central Arraignment in the Town of Ulster under Incident NY2600917425, while the initial collision investigation had been logged under a separate incident number in July.
A Class D Felony Carries Years of Prison Exposure
Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600(2)(a), leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death without reporting is classified as a Class D felony, carrying potential statutory penalties of up to seven years in state prison, fines ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, and a mandatory driver's license revocation, according to the Shelton Law Firm. Godwin is scheduled to appear in Saugerties Town Court on August 26 at 3 p.m., per Newport Dispatch's report.
Remembering a Longtime Local Mechanic
Richter was a lifelong Kingston and Saugerties-area mechanic who spent more than 30 years in small engine repair, previously owning Kingston Lawn and Power Equipment and later working for the New York State Thruway Authority, according to his obituary from the Joseph V. Leahy Funeral Home. He graduated from Saugerties High School in 1993 and earned a mechanics degree from Columbia-Greene Community College in 1995. He left behind a wife and a 16-year-old son.
While Richter was hospitalized in critical condition with severe injuries, including seven broken ribs, his family made public appeals on social media seeking witnesses or information about the driver before state police identified a suspect, according to posts in a local Facebook community group. Grief compounded for the family in the weeks that followed: one week after Richter died, his 84-year-old father-in-law, Kelton Hall Chubb of Glasco, passed away on July 31, with an obituary from the Seamon-Wilsey Funeral Home noting that Chubb was predeceased by his son-in-law.
A Dangerous Stretch of Road
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 212 and County Route 31, known locally as Kings Highway, a corridor that connects Woodstock and Saugerties before terminating at US Route 9W, according to background information on the roadway. The traffic control device at the intersection was displaying a green turn arrow at the time of the collision, per Newport Dispatch's account of the investigation.
It is not the first fatal crash on this stretch of road. In October 2025, a head-on crash near Sinsapaugh Lane on Kings Highway killed two people and closed the road between Glasco Turnpike and Route 212, according to the Hudson Valley Post. Godwin, for his part, had been listed as an academic honoree on the SUNY Ulster President's and Dean's Lists for the Spring 2025 semester, according to a release from the college.
