Ex-Columbus police officer sentenced to 1½ years in prison in drunken fatal hit-skip crash
A former Columbus police officer who admitted to being drunk behind the wheel when he hit and killed a woman in 2022 has been sentenced to 1½ years in prison.
Demetris Ortega, 51, of the South Side, appeared Friday before Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Carl Aveni for sentencing.
Ortega was off-duty and admittedly drunk around 2:30 a.m. on April 20, 2022, when he did not stop after hitting 27-year-old Naimo Mahdi Abdirahaman with his vehicle as she was crossing Morse Road near Walford Street in the Northland area.
Ortega pleaded guilty in September to not stopping after a traffic crash and misdemeanor drunken driving.
Aveni could have sentenced Ortega to up to three years in prison or as little as community control, often called probation, based on the charges.
Aveni also suspended Ortega's driver's license for three years. In addition, a parole authority could place Ortega on up to two years of post-release control.
Ortega admitted he was "blacking out" from drinking that night, according to Franklin County prosecutors.
The reason Ortega was not charged with aggravated vehicular homicide was because it was not possible to determine whether Abdirahaman was walking in the crosswalk when Ortega struck and killed her, prosecutors have said.
Abdirahaman's body was found in the area of an intersection with marked crosswalks and a 45 mph speed limit.
Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Jeff Zezech said Friday that police were unable to determine who was at fault in the crash.
Father wants justice
Abdirahaman, a Somali American, left behind a now-two-year-old son. Mahdi Jama, Abdirahaman's father, spoke during the sentencing via a Somali court interpreter.
Jama said a police officer killed his daughter and "nothing happened."
"He's just walking around town," Jama said. "The pain I feel, the hurt I feel is really burning me inside."
After the sentencing hearing, Jama said via Abdirizak Diini, a Somali community activist interpreting for him, that the family is not happy with the sentence.
"That's not enough for somebody who killed my daughter," Jama said. "Justice has not been served."
Abdirahaman's family has filed a civil lawsuit against Ortega, Fitzwilly's Pub, the Northeast Side bar that served Ortega the night of the crash, and two of the pub's bartenders. Her family is seeking monetary damages.
Ex-officer apologizes
Ortega apologized to Abdirahaman's family in court Friday.
"I am so sorry for being responsible for the death and loss of Naimo Abdirahman," Ortega said. "I wish I could go back in time and change things to bring her back."
Mark Collins, one of Ortega's defense attorneys, argued in court that Ortega has made strides toward getting and remaining sober, and that Ortega deserved a probation sentence.
Collins said Ortega came forward after the crash and admitted to being the driver because it was the right thing to do.
Columbus police erroneously reported in the days after the crash that a woman driving a male passenger hit Abdirahman.
Ortega, who had been with the Columbus Division of Police since 2002, was initially suspended with pay following the crash. Ortega remained on the payroll until he retired in bad standing in October.
jlaird@dispatch.com
@LairdWrites
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-Columbus cop gets 1½ years in prison for fatal hit-skip crash
