It was a somber autumn morning at the Riley County Courthouse as a Rossville man was sentenced to jail time after striking and killing a Manhattan bicyclist.
On the evening of June 26, 2014, 32-year-old Derik Kesler was driving southbound on K-177 when he struck 49-year-old Mark Jilka from behind. Jilka, an avid bicyclist, was wearing reflective gear while riding on the shoulder of the highway. Reports say Kessler immediately called 911, but Jilka was pronounced dead at the scene. According to Kesler’s witness statement, he was using the GPS service on his phone at the time and did not see the biker.
Last month, Kesler pleaded no contest to one count of vehicular homicide after intending to plead not guilty to the class A misdemeanor. Restitution was settled outside of court. As a part of his plea, Kesler’s driver’s license will be restricted to-and-from wor. Judge David L. Stutzman sentenced Kesler to 22 weekends at the Riley County Jail, which could also be served consecutively as 44 days. He will serve 12 months of parole and pay a fine of $2,500.
Kesler did not have much to share with the court in his statement, but members of Jilka’s family as well as Manhattan’s bicycling community showed up to give statements. Mark Jilka was portrayed by his loved ones as a vibrant and adventurous man who enjoyed gardening, brewing beer, and spending time with family. He was also a longtime member of the U.S. Navy and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Jilka’s older sister noted she hopes Kesler uses his experience to teach teens the risks of distracted driving.
In his closing statement, Judge Stutzman shared the complexity of a vehicular homicide case, saying it “falls somewhere between an accident and a crime.”
