Cockeysville man faces homicide, DUI charges over fatal Ocean City crash

Jun. 22--A Cockeysville man is facing charges of homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence in connection with a fiery crash that left one person dead in Ocean City early Friday, the Ocean City Police Department said.

Police responding to a report of a drunken driver tried to stop a vehicle driven by Todd Pivec, 41, on Coastal Highway shortly after 1 a.m., according to a police report.

Pivec eluded officers and police lost sight of his car, a white Lexus LX570, but it slammed into a southbound vehicle in the vicinity of 56th Street, causing the vehicle to burst into flames, the report said.

The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pivec's car was immobilized after it struck a telephone pole, and he tried to flee on foot, but police quickly apprehended him, the report said.

Court records show that Pivec, of the 100 block of Shawan Road, has faced charges for driving-related offenses on multiple occasions, including at least five times for driving while under the influence or driving while intoxicated, twice for reckless driving with wanton disregard for safety, and twice for driving or trying to drive a vehicle not equipped with an ignition interlock system as required.

He was found guilty of driving while impaired in Baltimore in October 2009, fined $500 and placed on a year's probation. He was also found guilty of negligent driving in Annapolis in January 2017, guilty of trying to drive without an interlock ignition system in Queen Anne's County in July 2017, and guilty of failure to provide insurance information after an accident in Towson in September 2018.

Pivec was given a one-year sentence in the July 2017 case, with all but one month of the time suspended.

He has been hit with 27 charges related to Friday's crash, according to court records, including manslaughter, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident that caused death, and driving a vehicle provided by his employer that was not equipped with an ignition interlock system.

The victim's name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

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