A Rohnert Park man accused of driving his truck into a bicyclist and leaving him gravely injured on the side of the road pleaded not guilty Monday to a single count of felony hit-and-run.
Robert Ernest Cowart, 68, appeared in a wheelchair in a Santa Rosa courtroom before Judge Robert LaForge, who increased his bail from $20,000 to $50,000 because of three prior drunken driving convictions.
LaForge earlier Monday considered placing Cowart in jail but allowed him to remain free at the urging of his lawyer, George Boisseau, who argued Cowart is suffering a "severe" medical condition.
Cowart was treated Friday at a Veteran's Administration facility, Boisseau said. The lanky lawyer hovered over Cowart and spoke into his ear as the judge asked questions.
"Mr. Cowart is entering a not-guilty plea to the one-count felony complaint," Boisseau told the judge.
Cowart would not comment as he was wheeled from the courthouse. Both sides will return to court Tuesday morning to set a preliminary hearing.
Prosecutor Victoria Shanahan had asked the court to jail Cowart and requested bail be set at $100,000.
She said Cowart struck retired Sonoma State University professor Steve Norwick on June 8, throwing him into the air, and then "continued with his day" until he was contacted by police.
Norwick, who was riding his bike on Petaluma Hill Road to meet friends, remains in a coma, she said.
However, Boisseau argued $100,000 bail was excessive. He said Cowart has attended all hearings and is not a threat to public safety.
An additional manslaughter charge could be filed if Norwick dies, Chief Deputy District Attorney Bud McMahon said.
Vin Hoagland, a former SSU colleague and fellow bicycle rider, said Norwick remained in the intensive care unit at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Friends have been holding out hope for improvement, saying they had been told there was a 10-day window for recovery, which ended Monday.
"There's just no change," Hoagland said in the hallway.
Gary Helfrich, executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, said advocates staged a group ride Sunday along Petaluma Hill Road to honor Norwick.
"Steve would have said &‘Go out and ride,'" Helfrich said. "Don't be afraid to get on the road."
Last week, Boisseau disclosed that Cowart had suffered a recent stroke and an aneurysm that may be impairing blood flow in his brain. It was not clear Monday when Cowart began to experience problems with his health.
Helfrich said the law requires doctors treating people with dementia or other debilitating injuries to inform the DMV when a person is not safe to drive. He wondered if that happened in this case.
"He (Cowart) clearly could not control his car," Helfrich said. "The issue here is people driving when they are no longer competent."
Court records show Cowart has three drunken driving convictions, two in 1989 and one in 2005. In the first DUI, Cowart had a 0.18 blood-alcohol content. He served 20 days in jail for the second offense.
In 2005, Cowart served two days in jail and was allowed to complete a first-time offender program, according to court records.
Boisseau said Monday that Cowart no longer drinks alcohol and would abide by the judge's order to abstain from driving while the case is pending.
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