Haydan Stalyon
A man who drove away from the courthouse after being told by a judge not to drive for a year has been given a second chance.
Haydan Stalyon had been put back in jail after it was learned he had driven his white Chevy truck home just after entering a reckless vehicular homicide plea.
He was granted a four-year suspended sentence in the case involving the traffic death of 21-year-old Nick Becker. Police said Stalyon, who was 20 at the time, was driving at a high rate of speed when he wrecked on Gadd Road on Feb. 22, 2022.
It was agreed on March 29 that Stalyon would get judicial diversion, meaning the charge could go off his record if he got in no further trouble.
Jennifer Dagnan, the mother of the victim, said Stalyon was in front of her behind the wheel as she left the county parking garage on Walnut Street after the plea.
She said, "I really was in shock."
The mother of Stalyon said the only reason he was driving was because she was afraid to drive his large truck out of the parking garage. She said she had trouble with backing up and worried she might hit other cars. She said he had not driven since.
Stalyon's sister said she drove him to the Silverdale jail to check himself in after the infraction of the judge's order was discovered.
Stalyon told the judge if he had it to do over with he would have "walked home." He said he had not driven except for that one time.
Asked by Judge Barry Steelman the situation at Silverdale, he said, "It's rough. It's a place you don't want to be - the food, the sleeping, the crazy people, the psychos."
The judge said he deliberately delayed the hearing so Stalyon would have more of a taste of jail life. He eventually served 13 days.
Judge Steelman said he believes Stalyon is remorseful and that the experience at Silverdale "opened his eyes."
He said of learning that Stalyon had driven away from the courthouse, "We all found it really unbelievable. We were just shaking our heads" at his "thumbing his nose at the rule of law while he was staring down a four-year prison sentence."
Judge Steelman said of Silverdale, "It's not a playground out there. Man for man it's probably as dangerous as any jail in the state."
The judge said he makes visits to Silverdale, "but I wouldn't want to spend a night there - much less a week or two weeks."