A Bethel Twp. man is due in court Friday morning on a vehicular manslaughter charge in connection with an August crash in New Carlisle that killed a 19-year-old motorcyclist.

Investigators allege James M. Dilley, 19, of 11748 Zeller Court, turned his pickup truck into the path of an oncoming motorcycle driven by Joseph A. Christmas, 19, of New Carlisle, about 9 a.m. Aug. 8 at Smith and Jefferson streets.

Christmas was transported to a Dayton hospital by New Carlisle medics with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries, but he later died. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.

Dilley will be arraigned in Clark County Municipal Court at 11 a.m. Friday on a vehicular manslaughter charge, a second-degree misdemeanor, and a failure to yield the right of way traffic citation, a minor misdemeanor. Both charges were filed earlier this month.

Dilley told investigators the sun reflected off the hood of his truck and he didn’t see the oncoming motorcycle as he made a left turn onto Smith Street from eastbound Jefferson Street.

Court records indicate Dilley has no previous local traffic or criminal record. He was cooperative with investigators, according to a news release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

“We hope this will remind people how important it is to be careful at intersections,” said Jeff Christmas, the father of Joseph Christmas.

The family has increasingly been involved in motorcycle safety. “We’re really missing our son and we pray that when people look at this story, they’ll think ‘Boy, I have to be careful,’ especially for those on motorcycles,” Jeff Christmas said.

The 2011 Tecumseh High School graduate was well-liked by the children he worked with during summers at the Wee Care Child Care Center at First Baptist Church, his father said, and was an accomplished guitarist.

No working phone number for Dilley could be found.

City Prosecutor Michael Sheils declined to comment directly on the case, but said Wednesday his office has seen an increase in motorcycle fatalities recently.

“It’s another really sad event. We’ve had quite a few in recent months,” Sheils said. “I encourage everybody to be more attentive and aware of their surroundings.”