Former deputy dies when van hits tree
Bay City Times, The (MI)
November 15, 2004
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/
A former Arenac County Sheriff's deputy who was involved in the notorious "cussing canoeist" case died early Sunday morning when his van struck a tree in the 2300 block of Broadway, Bay City police said.
Kenneth Socia, 38, of Bay City, was rushed to Bay Regional Medical Center after the 2 a.m. crash but died a short time later, police said.
A 46-year-old Bay City man who was riding in the van with Socia was injured and was being treated in the hospital. His name was not released.
Socia ticketed canoeist Timothy Boomer along the Rifle River in 1998 when he heard Boomer use profanity in front of a woman and her children.
The state Appeals Court threw out charges against Boomer in 2002 when it ruled that a 105-year-old state law against the use of profanity in public was unconstitutional.
Socia was charged in 1999 with domestic violence for allegedly striking his girlfriend, and was subsequently fired by Arenac County Sheriff Jim Mosciski.
Socia attempted to get his job back, but a state arbitrator ruled against him in 2001. He currently was self-employed.
Investigators said Socia's van was traveling north early Sunday when it veered off the street and hit the tree head-on. The passenger went to a nearby bar to call for an ambulance.
An autopsy was scheduled today to determine the exact cause of death, police said. The scene also was investigated by an accident reconstruction expert from the Michigan State Police. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Socia was born in Bay City. His brother, Michael Socia, is a Bay City police officer.
Among survivors are two daughters. Services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church with burial in St. Patrick Cemetery.
