Columbus police officer suspended over fatal hit-skip crash identified
A Columbus police officer who was suspended for his possible role in a fatal hit-skip crash on Wednesday morning has been identified.
Officer Demetris Ortega, a 20-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police, is the registered owner of the vehicle involved in the crash reported at 2:41 a.m. near the intersection of Morse Road and Walford street on the city's Northeast Side, sources told The Dispatch.
However, Ortega was a passenger and not the driver of the vehicle involved, one of the sources said.
Officer suspended: Columbus officer relieved of duty following fatal hit-skip crash on Northeast Side
Columbus police said a woman who was on foot was struck by the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at 2:49 a.m. Wednesday. Her name has not yet been released, pending notification of her family. A Columbus police crash report was still not available Thursday.
According to two 911 calls from the incident obtained by The Dispatch, the woman was seen lying in the roadway, but neither caller reported seeing the vehicle that was involved in the crash.
Ortega has not been charged with any crime and the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Ortega, who has been a Columbus police officer since July 2002, was placed on "relieved of duty" status — essentially paid suspension —on Wednesday afternoon by Chief Elaine Bryant while the crash is fully investigated. The suspension is standard procedure.
Attorney Mark Collins confirmed he is representing Ortega in the matter when contacted by The Dispatch. He said Ortega will comply with all aspects of the investigation.
If Ortega was not driving but was in his vehicle at the time, he could still potentially face internal discipline by the police division for failing to follow division directives regarding proper conduct, as well as failing to provide aid at the scene of the crash.
In June 2021, Ortega filed a lawsuit against a woman who rear-ended him around 5:55 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2020, while Ortega was a passenger in a police cruiser that was headed south on North 3rd Street in the Downtown area. The woman's vehicle rear-ended the cruiser at a stoplight and Ortega was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of back and neck pain.
The lawsuit, which is still pending, seeks monetary damages to cover Ortega's medical costs, according to court records.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus officer who was passenger in fatal hit-skip crash identified
