Kotsonis' bond set at $5M, pleads not guilty

A Johnson City man who drove off West Market Street, killing one and injuring three others, is being held on a $5 million bond after being arraigned Monday. "We have five people that were mowed down getting something to eat, so the public safety issue of him returning to court is one we need to take into account," District Attorney Steve Finney said during arraignment. Steven T. Kotsonis, 37, was arraigned at the George Jaynes Justice Center after he was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, vehicle assault and several other felonies Saturday. Kotsonis is facing the following charges, according to court records: Vehicular Homicide Vehicular Assault (three counts) Violation of Implied Consent Law (Refusal of DUI blood test) Reckless Endangerment Reckless Driving Leaving the Scene of an Accident DUI Failure to Exercise Due Care Finney added that the state has video of Kotsonis confessing to the crime and cited the 37-year-old's criminal history. "As of 11 o'clock this morning, we were viewing jail tapes," Finney said. "The defendant confessed to the crime." Kotsonis was assigned a public defender and pleaded not guilty. A preliminary hearing is set for May 21 at 1:30 p.m. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Kotsonis struck four people, along with a city lamp and sign, while he was driving a 2021 Ford Explorer west on West Market Street early Saturday morning. Toby Cornett, 24, died from injuries, according to THP. Ethan Saxon, 22, Macy Street, 23 and Riley Gowan, 23, were injured in the crash. One of the two passengers in the Explorer and owner of the vehicle, Dominique Neal, 27, was also injured in the crash. She was charged Sunday by the THP with DUI, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. She's being held at the Washington County jail and more information about the nature of her arrest was not available by press time. Affidavits submitted by THP officers who responded to the crash say Kotsonis was "very hostile and angry" toward law enforcement at the scene. Officers also wrote that Kotsonis "did not perform well and was very argumentative" during a field sobriety test. Kotsonis also refused to take a DUI blood test after officers placed him under arrest. Kotsonis' criminal past Over the past 20 years, Kotsonis has faced numerous criminal charges, including ones associated with a 2011 armed robbery that took place in Johnson City. In 2012, Kotsonis entered a federal plea agreement for the robbery where he pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison. According to the plea agreement, Kotsonis was previously convicted of aggravated assault in Washington County in 2009, however there was no court record available for this charge at press time. Kotsonis has faced a second-degree murder charge and multiple other aggravated assault charges that were dropped or dismissed. 2011 county court records for the second-degree murder and one aggravated assault charge appear to be related to the armed robbery, but the second-degree murder charge did not appear in Circuit or federal court records. In 2008, Kotsonis pleaded guilty to reckless driving and resisting arrest. Through 2011, he also pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident. Other dismissed or reduced charges over the past five years include public intoxication, criminal trespassing, domestic assault, evading arrest, speeding and violation of probation.