City of Manchester ordered to pay $4.25 million in wrongful death lawsuit

The city of Manchester has been ordered to pay $4.25 million to the family of a man who died during a high-speed chase with a city police officer. A Delaware County jury on Friday ordered the payment after a trial held this week at the county courthouse. Former officer James Wessels, who retired in 2022, is responsible for an additional $10,000 to be paid in punitive damages. 31-year-old Augustin “Gus” Mormann of Colesburg, died on Jan. 15, 2021, after he crashed his motorcycle on Dec. 10, 2020, while attempting to flee from a traffic stop along U.S. 20 near Manchester.