He will also face three misdemeanor charges of leaving the scene of an accident, assured cleared distance ahead and operation in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property.
West Chester police Officer Mark York testified that Strader’s black Chevy Avalanche was traveling an estimated 75 mph when it sped through a red light and slammed into a Toyota Prius driven by Stapleton at the intersection of Ohio 747 and Port Union Road. York said witnesses reported that immediately before the fatal crash, Strader rear-ended a vehicle on Ohio 747 between Union Center Boulevard and Mackenzie Court and sped away from the scene.
The witnesses “said he was traveling at a high rate of speed, approximately 80 mph, maneuvered around traffic and accelerated to get through the light,” York said, adding there is a video of the crash.
During questioning by Strader’s defense attorney, Carl Lewis, York said the defendant had been cooperating with the police investigation and that there is no indication that he was intoxicated or impaired by drugs at the time of the accident.
“He indicated he has had seizures in the past and takes medication,” York said, noting investigators are awaiting Strader’s medical records from a neurologist.
Visiting Judge Robert Lyons, who is the county’s Area I Court judge, found sufficient evidence to bind the case over to a grand jury for consideration.
Lewis and co-defense attorney Lawrence Hawkins III declined comment after the hearing.
About 75 of Stapleton’s friends and family members crowded the courtroom Tuesday, and some — including his three brothers, Robert, Larry and Phil — were overrun by the emotion of the moment.
“What he did was nothing short of putting a gun to my brother’s head,” Robert Stapleton said of Strader who has been involved in a previous accident that resulted in injuries and a lawsuit. “I am a reasonable man. We all make mistakes, but why leave (the scene) if there is nothing to hide.”
“He will have a chance to see his family and be with them again, my brother will not,” Phil Stapleton sobbed.
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