Photo: deepblue4you / iStock / Getty Images
A Ballston Spa man could spend up to 25 years in prison after admitting he intentionally struck two Walmart employees with his car outside the Wilton store, killing one and injuring another.
On Wednesday (April 1), Timothy W. Besaw, 34, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and first-degree vehicular assault in Saratoga County Court. The charges stem from an incident on the night of October 16, 2025, when police say Besaw, suspected of shoplifting, drove his car into a group of Walmart employees who confronted him, according to the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office as reported by the Times Union.
Sixty-nine-year-old Michael Bushey was killed, and another employee was seriously injured. Bushey died at Albany Medical Center on November 3, 2025. Police said Besaw, who was known to store employees and possibly shoplifted there multiple times, argued with the workers before allegedly accelerating toward them. After fleeing the scene, Besaw crashed his car on Perry Road and was arrested by Saratoga County sheriff's deputies.
Authorities found open containers of alcohol and controlled substances in Besaw’s vehicle, and he appeared visibly impaired, according to WRGB Albany. Besaw refused to take breath or blood tests.
The district attorney’s office noted Besaw is being sentenced as a second felony offender, which increases his possible prison term. He faces between 12.5 and 25 years for aggravated vehicular homicide and a concurrent 3.5 to 7 years for assault. Sentencing is set for July 15.
District Attorney Brett Eby called it "a senseless and devastating act that has permanently impacted so many lives," adding, "The strength and resilience shown by the victim’s family in the face of such a horrific tragedy has been truly extraordinary," as quoted by Yahoo News.
Besaw was originally charged with first- and second-degree assault, first- and second-degree vehicular assault, petit larceny, driving while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of an accident. The case will conclude with sentencing in July.