TWO DRIVERS INDICTED IN DELAWARE COUNTY, OHIO FATAL ROAD-RAGE CRASH. BOTH VEHICLES HAD BEEN CUTTING EACH OTHER OFF AND ALTERNATELY HITTING THEIR BRAKES AND SPEEDING AWAY BEFORE THE CRASH
February 6,
2015
DELAWARE,
Ohio — A Delaware County grand jury this morning indicted two Marion motorists
involved in a road-rage crash last year in which a passenger was killed.
Brenda L. Stephens, 43, died shortly after the Nov. 1 crash in which she was thrown from the passenger seat of the vehicle driven by her husband, Richard C. Stephens, 35, near the intersection of I-71 and Rts. 36/37.
The driver of the other vehicle, Andrew J. Miller, 29, is an acquaintance of the Stephens.
Mr. Stephens is charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, two misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, both minor misdemeanors, according to the Delaware County prosecutor’s office.
The Stephens’ pickup truck and Miller’s sedan collided near the intersection just before 1 a.m., causing the truck to flip over, ejecting Brenda Stephens. Witnesses told investigators that both vehicles had been cutting each other off and alternately hitting their brakes and speeding away before the crash, the State Highway patrol reported.
“We are working diligently to get a clear picture of the incidents leading up to this tragedy,” Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’Brien said in a news release. “What we know for sure is this senseless crash did not need to happen, and has resulted in the loss of a life that can never be replaced.”
Arraignment dates have not yet been set.
Brenda L. Stephens, 43, died shortly after the Nov. 1 crash in which she was thrown from the passenger seat of the vehicle driven by her husband, Richard C. Stephens, 35, near the intersection of I-71 and Rts. 36/37.
The driver of the other vehicle, Andrew J. Miller, 29, is an acquaintance of the Stephens.
Mr. Stephens is charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, two misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, both minor misdemeanors, according to the Delaware County prosecutor’s office.
The Stephens’ pickup truck and Miller’s sedan collided near the intersection just before 1 a.m., causing the truck to flip over, ejecting Brenda Stephens. Witnesses told investigators that both vehicles had been cutting each other off and alternately hitting their brakes and speeding away before the crash, the State Highway patrol reported.
“We are working diligently to get a clear picture of the incidents leading up to this tragedy,” Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’Brien said in a news release. “What we know for sure is this senseless crash did not need to happen, and has resulted in the loss of a life that can never be replaced.”
Arraignment dates have not yet been set.
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Marion woman killed in two-vehicle crash in a road rage incident. Her husband was one of the two drivers.
November 1, 2014
A
Marion woman was killed yesterday in a two-vehicle crash on Rts. 36/37 in
Delaware County.
Brenda
L. Stephens, 43, was a passenger in a 1999 Ford Ranger driven by Richard C.
Stephens Jr., 35, on Rts. 36/37 just west of Africa Road, according to a news
release from the Delaware Post of the State Highway Patrol.
The
Ranger was struck about 12:50 p.m. yesterday by a 2009 Pontiac G6 driven by
Andrew J. Miller, 29, also of Marion. Both were westbound when the Pontiac
veered into the Ranger’s path. The Ranger struck a guardrail and flipped onto
its roof and the Pontiac went into the median, according to the Highway Patrol.
Brenda
Stephens was ejected and died at the scene. She was not wearing a seatbelt,
according to the patrol.
Miller
and Richard Stephens were taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital with
non-life-threatening injuries.