Dear SCBC Members & Friends,

Last Friday, my good friend and mentor Steve Norwick was injured horribly by a hit and run driver.

Steve had finally decided to retire and had begun the long task of cleaning out his office at Sonoma State. He left SSU that day and was riding with friends on Petaluma Hill Road along the shoulder when he was run down from behind (the rarest, but most potentially damaging type of car/bike crash) by a pickup truck driven by Robert Cowart. The violent impact threw Steve from his bike; he landed broken and maimed in the roadside ditch.  Cowart did not slow down or stop to help Steve, but continued on to work, stopping for milk along the way, and then returned to his home in Rohnert Park.

Fortunately, CHP Officer Robert Powers and Sergeant Jeff Nicks of Rohnert Park Public Safety live down the street from Cowart. They noticed that at truck matching the description of the one that hit Steve was parked in the driveway; they arrested Cowart.

Cowart is scheduled for arraignment in Sonoma County Superior Court for a single count of felony hit and run this Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.  If you are able to, I hope you will join me to attend the arraignment and stand in support of Steve.

At this point, it is about supporting Steve. While I personally, and SCBC as an organization, believe Cowart must be held accountable for his callous disregard for another human being, it is Steve who needs our thoughts and good wishes. We all are in a state of outrage and shock, and right now, we need to focus on Steve's recovery and supporting his family. SCBC will keep you up to date on Steve's condition, and on Cowart's case as it unfolds in court.