Nearly three months after Treat Williams died in a motorcycle crash, Ryan Koss has pleaded not guilty in connection to the accident.
On Monday, Ryan officially pleaded not guilty after being charged in August with being “grossly negligent operation with death.”
According to AP News, the Vermont police determined that Ryan was turning his Honda SVU when he hit Treat’s motorcycle, causing the crash after being unable to avoid a collision.
The beloved actor was pronounced dead later at Albany Medical Center in New York.
If convicted of the charges against him, Ryan could face up to 15 years in prison.
However, the charges aren’t all Ryan has been facing as he deals with causing the death of a man he considered a friend.
Ryan Koss remembers his friend Treat Williams
35-year-old Ryan is the managing creative director of the Dorset Theatre Festival in Vermont. Treat could often be found performing at the theater, where he and Ryan became friends.
Following Treat’s sudden death, Ryan released a statement to Us Weekly to express his devastation over the accident and loss of his friend.
“I am devastated by Mr. Williams’s tragic passing. I have known Treat for years, both as a member of this tight-knit community and fellow theater maker. I considered him a friend. I know his family feels his sudden loss even more deeply than I do, and I offer my sincerest condolences to them,” Ryan shared with the weekly magazine.
Treat died on June 12, and Ryan was officially charged on August 1. Ryan has been working with authorities since the accident.
Tributes for Treat Williams have been pouring in since his death
The outpouring of love has been nonstop for Treat since his sudden death this summer.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Taylor Kinney, who played Treat’s son Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire, remembered him as a father figure.
Chicago Fire also paid tribute to Treat, as did Randy Flagler (Capp).
Jonathan Bennett worked with Treat on The Christmas House and The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls wrote a lengthy statement about Treat as an actor, mentor, and friend.
Gregory Smith played Treat’s son Ephram on Everwood, telling People magazine that he was grateful for the time he got to spend with Treat.
“He made an indelible impression on me during my most formative years,” Gregory shared in his tribute.
Those are just a few tributes made to Treat, whose career spanned nearly five decades in Hollywood. While fans will forever remember his talent, those close to him remember the incredible man that was Treat Williams.