Aiken Man Has Bond Set for Army Major’s Death

Fifty-thousand dollars is the bond of Aiken’s own 41 year old Daniel Johnson, who is charged with reckless homicide after the death of a soldier out of Fort Gordon.

He was arrested Monday and charged after U.S. Army major Dr. Matthew Burke died from injuries he sustained in the October 1 accident in which the bicycle he was riding on was hit by Johnson.

An autopsy shows that the 37 year old died of massive head trauma from the accident. He was riding with a group of cyclists based in Augusta, Georgia on Beech Island Road when a Dodge Durango barreled towards them from behind and struck the group. Four from the group sustained injuries and were taken to local hospitals. They were all wearing reflective clothing and wore safety gear, and the sun was still up, as the incident occurred at around 6:30 p.m.

Johnson was uninjured and immediately taken into custody on the scene.

New Details Emerge From Thursday’s Plane Crash

Cessna182-M

Evidence is being gathered from the crash site of a Cessna airplane that crashed off of Snipes Pond Road on Thursday, killing pilot Stephen Radke.

Radke was en route to Aiken Municipal Airport when the plane took a nosedive at a 45 degree angle in foggy, windy and rainy conditions. After impact, the debris field was scattered over a 300×150 foot radius and Radke was reportedly killed instantly.

No reports were received from the pilot that he was in any sort of danger over the course of the flight.

During the flight, Radke contacted an Augusta tower to tell them that he couldn’t see his landing site and would be flying back to his origin, Beaufort County Airport. Soon after, at 9:36 am, an explosion was reported by a crew of electricians and they called 911. He was slated to arrive at Aiken Municipal just four minutes later.

Officials are now awaiting the results of a toxicology report on the victim, and the NTSB is investigating theĀ  large swath of destruction in the wooded crash site.