Driver Charged in Crash That Killed New Baltimore Police Officer Dies

A 65-year-old Chesterfield Township man accused of driving under the influence in a crash that killed a New Baltimore police reserve officer died Thursday, authorities said.

Gerald Belcher's defense lawyer David Pietroski said last month his client was told April 1 he had inoperable liver cancer and had been given approximately 90 days to live at the time of diagnosis, Fox 2 Detroit reported.

His death came on the same day a fundraiser for Patrick Wisniewski's family was held in Chesterfield Township. Wisniewski, 33, was a decorated airman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, father of five and New Baltimore volunteer police officer.

Macomb County Sheriff Lt. John Michalke confirmed Belcher died Thursday but did not cite the specific cause, adding, "his death was not unexpected." He was under sheriff guard at a local hospital.

Police said Belcher's Chevy Impala struck Wisniewski's motorcycle the evening of June 2 at the Jefferson and 21 Mile intersection. Wisniewski, a New Baltimore resident, was on his way home from a regular shift at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township at the time of crash.

Belcher was arrested at his home in shortly after the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office authorized a warrant on one count of driving with a suspended license causing death and one count of operating while intoxicated. Each charge carried a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment, according to Chesterfield Township police.

He was being held in lieu of a $250,000 cash bond.