A Wisconsin truck driver was charged Friday with vehicular homicide and 12 other violations for his role in a four-car collision Dec. 5 that killed a 65-year-old Bowmansville man.

Police said John D. Kilmer of Withee, Wis., acted with "gross negligence" when he ran a red light on Route 322 in East Earl Township and collided with a car driven by Gary J. Harrison, of 1303 Reading Road, resulting in his death.

District Judge Rodney Hartman issued a warrant for Kilmer's arrest Friday afternoon after East Earl Township police Officer Michael P. Vance filed a criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, Kilmer, 63, failed to stop at the traffic signal in the eastbound side of Route 322 at Weaverland Road and broadsided Harrison's Oldsmobile, which was traveling south on Weaverland Road.

Vance said a Pennsylvania State Police investigation revealed three brakes on Kilmer's tractor-trailer were out of adjustment as he was hauling an unsecured 12-passenger van.

Harrison, who was traveling with his wife, Christine, died the day after the crash.

The Harrisons' car was  rammed into a dump truck and a Subaru sedan, leaving the couple trapped for 20 minutes before emergency workers could free them.

Mrs. Harrison suffered numerous traumatic injuries and was hospitalized.

Police charged Kilmer with one count of homicide by vehicle, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and running a red light.

A truck inspection by Trooper Leonardo Santiago of the Lancaster barracks also revealed nine technical violations. Kilmer had forged his log book and was driving with a tire with less than 2/32 of an inch of tread, police said.

Santiago said the violations would have put Kilmer "out of service by regulation standards."

Trooper Joseph Gabryluk, a State Police accident reconstruction expert, said tests show Kilmer's truck skidded through the intersection at about 41 mph.

Shawn Zimmerman of East Earl, who witnessed the crash, said Kilmer's truck was "halfway through the intersection on the red signal before it engaged its breaks," according to a police affidavit.

Ivan Hurt, who was traveling north  on Weaverland Road when the accident happened, said "the light was green for about 5 to 6 seconds" before the collision occurred.

According to the affidavit, Kilmer told police he "thought the light was green and hit his brakes when he saw the vehicles coming at him." Kilmer said he realized the light was red just before he hit the Harrisons' vehicle.

E-mail Patrick Burns at pburns@lnpnews.com.