Running mate shocked: Deadly DWI charge catches up with councilman

A Connecticut man who was just elected to a local town council has stepped down after being charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal New Jersey accident four years ago.

NJ Advance Media reports Robert McGowan, 29 of Trumbull, Conn. was also charged with two counts of assault by auto in 2011 Westfield crash that killed Peter Tyliczka of Old Bridge.

McGowan was ticketed for drunk driving and several other lesser offenses but the case was passed onto the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Charges in the accident on were brought on Oct. 16, four years to the date of the accident, but authorities have not explained the multi-year delay.

McGowan, who was supposed to take office Dec. 7, was asked to step down by First Selectman Tin Herbst according to the Connecticut Post.

“Had I known about this, I absolutely would not have had him run on the ticket,” Herbst told the Post. He said the crash did not come up in a background check.

The Post reports McGowan, now a real estate agent, lived in Stamford, Conn. at the time of the accident.

The family of Tyliczka told NJ Advanced Media they were told several times that both Westfield Police and the Prosecutor's Office were waiting for unspecified "reports" to come back before charges could be filed, but were never told of DWI being a factor.