LICKING COUNTY, Ohio –- A Westerville man is indicted on 13 counts Friday in connection with a triple-fatality crash in June of 2008.
The Licking County grand jury returned a 13-count indictment against 40-year-old Steven C. Neale, Jr. of Westerville Friday.
The triple-fatal crash happened at the intersection of state Route 310 and Morse Road in St. Albans Township at 12:10 a.m. Sunday, June 15, 2008.
According to the crash report by the Ohio State Highway Patrol Granville post:
Neale was driving a Chevrolet Avalanche northbound on S.R. 310 when his vehicle collided with a westbound Saturn two-door coupe.
Gabrielle Mayabb, 18, was driving the Saturn. She was killed in the crash.
There were three other occupants in the Saturn, including 20-year-old Paul Davis Jr. of Newark, Nicole Swigert-Moats of Newark and 25-year-old Kevin Miller of Heath.
Miller and Swigert-Moats also were killed in the crash. Davis was injured seriously.
Alcohol was suspected in the crash, according to troopers.
The charges filed Friday allege Neale is responsible for the three fatalities and Davis' injuries.
The Licking County prosecuting attorney's office said the process of filing charges was prolonged because the patrol was unable to locate crash witnesses to determine with certainty which driver disregarded the traffic light at the intersection.
"Simply put, as a result of the lack of eyewitnesses to the crash, it became necessary to take appropriate additional steps to determine what happened and what charge or charges Mr. Neale should face," Prosecutor Kenneth W. Oswalt wrote in a release.
Neale was charged with six counts of aggravated vehicular homicide (second-degree felonies), two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide (third-degree felonies), three counts of vehicular homicide (first-degree misdemeanors), one count of negligent assault (third-degree misdemeanor) and driving under the influence (first-degree misdemeanor).
Counts overlap to account for different allegations of how liable Neale is, Licking County Prosecutor Ken Oswalt stated in a news release. If convicted, counts would be merged and the maximum possible sentence could be 29 years in prison.
Currently, there isn't a date set for Neale's court appearance in this indictment.
For the latest news and information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
MORE: NBC 4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC 4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
NBC 4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement