Woman wanted in New Year’s Day crash that left child paralyzed now jailed

Shawna Renee Harris

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Shawna Renee Harris

A woman wanted for an OVI head-on crash early New Year’s Day that left a child paralyzed is now in custody.

Shawna Renee Harris, 25, was arrested Friday morning and booked into the Montgomery County Jail awaiting her arraignment Tuesday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

The Dayton Police Department last week issued a public plea on social media for help to find Harris, who was indicted last month in the Jan. 1 crash that sent six people to the hospital, including three children ages 5, 3 and 1.

Harris is charged with four counts of aggravated vehicular assault, five counts of endangering children and two misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Police and medics responded to the crash at around 1:30 a.m. Jan. 1 after a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Harris went left of center and crashed head-on into a 2016 Ford Fusion, according to a Dayton police traffic crash report.

Harris did not have a valid driver’s license and her blood-alcohol content tested at 0.194, more than double Ohio’s legal driving limit of 0.08, according to the DPD crash report.

Harris and the driver of the Fusion were taken to local hospitals with suspected serious injuries. A 23-year-old woman and the three children, all passengers in the Malibu, also were taken to local hospitals, the report said.

The children suffered suspected serious injuries, the report said, and police said the 5-year-old was reportedly paralyzed following the crash.

The report also noted that the driver of the Fusion, a 32-year-old Dayton man, had a BAC level nearly three times the legal limit, at 0.238. He has not been charged, records show.

About the Authors