Driver charged with murder in passenger's death after pursuit through Monroe County
A man who is accused of leading police from multiple agencies on a pursuit through Monroe County on Jan. 6, ending in a crash in downtown Dundee that claimed his passenger's life, has been charged with murder and other offenses.
Kim Lynn Fitch Jr., 31, of Napoleon, Ohio, is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree fleeing police, and reckless driving causing death, Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Michael G. Roehrig announced. He was arraigned Thursday in Monroe County District Court before Judge Michael C. Brown. A probable cause conference is scheduled for Jan. 25, and a preliminary examination is set for Feb. 1, both before Brown.
Lesley Rosales, 46, of Leipsic, Ohio, died from injuries sustained in the crash that ended the pursuit, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported.
More:Passenger dies after police pursuit ends with crash in Dundee
The incident began in Toledo when members of the Toledo Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a car Fitch was driving, Roehrig said in a news release. When that attempt failed, a high-speed pursuit ensued into Michigan. The pursuit traveled north from the state line into Monroe, then west into Dundee.
Numerous law enforcement agencies were involved, including the Washington Township, Ohio, Police Department, the Monroe Police Department, the Dundee Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the release said. Once in downtown Dundee, Fitch’s four-door sedan came to rest and caught fire after he failed to negotiate a turn from West Monroe Street onto Tecumseh Street and struck a utility pole, the sheriff's office reported. Deputies removed Fitch and Rosales from the car. Neither were wearing seat belts, and the car's air bags did not deploy. Rosales was pronounced dead at ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital.
The second-degree murder charge carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The first-degree fleeing charge is based on the pursuit ending in Rosales' death and is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Reckless driving causing death has a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of $2,500 to $10,000.
Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jahn Landis is the lead prosecutor on the case, Roehrig said.
Online district court records did not list an attorney for Fitch. He is being held in the Monroe County Jail without bond, according to online jail records.
The case remains under investigation by Deputy Jon Cregar of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Roehrig's relase said. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 734-240-7756.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Driver charged with murder in passenger's death after pursuit
