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SIDNEY – Steven E. Hunter, of Sidney, was sentenced Tuesday in Shelby County Common Pleas Court to a mandatory 17 years in prison for the death of Sarah Schwartz, 23, of Maplewood who was a passenger in a buggy which was rear-ended by an SUV he operated.
The 43-year-old Hunter was convicted of single counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, a first-degree felony; aggravated vehicular assault, a second-degree felony; and not stopping after a crash, a second-degree felony.
According to the Sidney Daily News, Judge James Stevenson said it was obvious based on a history of prior felony convictions that Hunter has a “blatant disregard for the law” while imposing the prosecution’s recommended sentence for the April 20 fatal crash in the 22000 block of State Route 47 at the Logan-Shelby County line.
At 8:40 p.m. that evening, the Logan County Sheriff’s Department received a call that a 1998 Chevrolet Suburban had struck a properly-lit buggy being used by an Amish family. Authorities reportedly found Sarah Schwartz, 23, dead at the scene.
Her husband, Henry, 26, and their children, Elmer, 18 months, and Ester, four months, were injured. The children were taken by CareFlight to a Dayton hospital. Mr. Schwartz was first taken to Wilson Health then transported to a Dayton hospital.
According to online court records, Logan County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Wood found Mrs. Schwartz lying in the roadway deceased among the debris when he first arrived at the scene. His report also indicates he found Henry lying face down in a ditch near Elmer. A bystander was holding Ester while seated in a ditch.
Wood indicated that once the family was receiving medical care, he began searching for the driver of the Suburban. Hunter was unsuccessful in trying to drive the Suburban out of the ditch.
Witnesses claim they spoke to Hunter who allegedly told them authorities had already been contacted, so they didn’t need to do so. However, the driver was not at the scene of the accident.
Hunter was found in a nearby cornfield and running from authorities. Once taken into custody, he allegedly began yelling that someone had stolen his truck.
Deputies noted they reportedly found a strong odor of alcohol on Hunter. Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Bleigh noted in his report that Hunter’s driver’s license was suspended from two previous convictions for operating a motor vehicle while impaired within the past six years.
On July 13, Hunter changed his plea on the three counts he was sentenced on Tuesday. He entered a no contest plea to the aggravated vehicular homicide charge and aggravated vehicular assault. He entered a guilty plea to a count of not stopping after an accident.
Prosecutors dropped two charges of aggravated vehicle assault, both second-degree felonies, in return for the pleas.