DUI Driver Who Killed Bucks Co. Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced

A drunk driver whose license was suspended when he hit and killed a Bucks County deputy sheriff last May has been sentenced to serve 6 ½ to 22¾ years in state prison. Harry J. Burak pleaded guilty in the May 16 crash, which was his fifth DUI.

Deputy Keith W. Clymer, 48, of Kintnersville, was killed instantly when his motorcycle crashed into the side of Burak’s pickup truck, which had pulled into his path on Route 313.

Burak, whose driver’s license had been revoked because of prior DUIs, had a blood alcohol concentration of .18 percent shortly after the crash, more than twice the legal limit. The crash happened at about 8:30 p.m. in front of Burak’s home in the 2400 block of Route 313.

Clymer was off-duty and riding his motorcycle eastbound near Sterner Mill Road when Burak pulled into Clymer’s path while turning left into his driveway, authorities said. Clymer was believed to have been going between 86 and 94 miles per hour. While that excessive speed contributed to the collision, prosecutors alleged Burak’s impaired ability to judge the distance and speed of the oncoming vehicle or react was the direct and substantial cause of the crash.

Two hours before the crash, investigators say Burak left a bar near his house with a six-pack of beer, having already consumed five pints of beer in less than an hour. He walked the half-mile to and from the bar, investigators said, but chose to drive afterwards.

A neighbor who was mowing his grass across the street ran over after the collision and told Burak to call 911. During the call, Burak initially tried to tell the operator that only one vehicle was involved and that no one was injured before hanging up prematurely, prosecutors said.

Burak allegedly flailed his arms and struggled with police when they attempted to take him into custody, forcing officers to take him to the ground and requiring several to place him in handcuffs.

The 28-year-old East Rockhill Township resident received consecutive sentences of four to 10 years for homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, one to seven years for causing an accident involving death or serious injury while not properly licensed, seven years’ probation for homicide by vehicle and three separate six- to 23-month sentences for violating his probation on three prior DUIs.

The jail time will be followed by 10 years of probation. Judge Raymond F. McHugh also sentenced Burak to a concurrent two and one-half to five years and a fine of $2,500 for the DUI involved in Clymer’s death.

Clymer had worked as a deputy sheriff for Bucks County since 2013. He was assigned to the Domestic Relations warrant team, and was a Self Defense/Defensive Tactics instructor for the Sheriff’s Office.

In victim impact statements read in court, Clymer’s colleagues and loved ones recalled him as a good-hearted, fun-loving man devoted to his work and his children.

Clymer would “spend hours of his own time talking to people to get them to turn themselves in” on domestic warrants, said fellow Deputy Greg Appleton, "Keith was big on talking to people and truly listening to them to try and help them through whatever issues that person had.”

“After the passing of my mom at the age of 15 we became even closer. He was the one that picked me up in the darkest points in my life and brushed me off. He pushed me to never give up…his heart was so big it wouldn’t fit in this room," Clymer's 16-year-old son, Rooney, wrote an impact statement.

Clymer’s girlfriend, Megan McCuen, said Clymer was on his way home from her house when he was killed.

“When Keith didn’t call, I knew something was wrong and I went looking for him,” she said. “As I approached one stop sign I looked left and saw all the emergency lights. I screamed, knowing my life will never be the same.”