On June 8 a man pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular assault, DUI and driving under suspension in an incident that left two members of an Elyria family dead, as reported by the Chronicle Telegram.
One year ago G.W. Jr. killed a mother of two and her 11 year-old son. Survivors of the crash, but critically injured, were the woman's husband and daughter.
G.W. Jr. will be sentenced on June 22. At that time he will be facing up to a 36-year prison sentence as prosecutors plan to pursue the maximum. According to Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge, G.W. Jr. will no longer be allowed behind the wheel of a vehicle for the remainder of his life.
Charges of failure to register as a sex offender, though unrelated to the crash, were dropped in the plea bargaining.
Survivors T.T. and his daughter D.T. were present in the courtroom at the time G.W. Jr. entered his guilty plea. Though they preferred not to issue a statement to reporters, T.T. spent time shaking hands with people that had come to the courtroom to lend their support.
T.T. said that he is prepared to speak at the sentencing.
Though G.W. Jr. had not agreed to the same exact plea deal one week prior, Burge explained to him what might happen if left to a jury to decide his guilt – G.W. Jr. was facing up to eight years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender.
On June 11, 2011, G.W. Jr. crashed his Kia Optima into T.T.'s Honda Civic. The crash occurred on state Route 83, in Grafton. G.W. Jr. had veered left of center before careening into the Honda that was headed to Liverpool Township.
G.W. Jr.'s blood alcohol percentage, according to Ohio Highway Patrol troopers, was 0.209 and twice the state's limit for operating a vehicle.
The attorney for G.W. Jr., Frank Janik, said that his client took full responsibility for the accident. After the hearing, Janik told reporters, "He has been contrite and remorseful about this tragic incident since I was appointed by the court to represent him."
G.W. Jr. was also injured during the accident and had been seen at a local hospital. Once he was released the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, after checking the crash, found that G.W. Jr. had violated conditions of his parole.
G.W. Jr. had been released from prison in 2010 after serving a five year sentence – he had been in jail after being found guilty of gross sexual imposition and pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor.
Other convictions on G.W. Jr.'s criminal record include: DUI, drug, domestic violence, theft and forgery.
N.B., the woman that lent G.W. Jr. the Kia to drive that day, was originally charged with wrongful entrustment. That charge was later dropped, however, prosecutors in the Elyria Municipal Court planned to renew the charges if G.W. Jr. was found guilty.
Charged with a crime stemming from a DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI? Contact a DUI attorney that is well versed in the laws that govern your state and begin working on your defense now!