Middletown man sentenced for serious injuries caused in 2023 OVI crash
Jul. 25—A Middletown man has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison after he was accused of driving under the influence when he got into a crash in Turtlecreek Twp. that seriously injured another man last year.
John Dee Vicars, 63, pleaded guilty July 16 in Warren County Common Pleas Court to charges of aggravated vehicular assault and operating a vehicle under the influence, according to court records.
He was sentenced the same day by Judge Robert W. Peeler to 18 months in prison for the aggravated vehicular assault charge with credit for 125 days in jail, and to 180 days in prison for the OVI charge, to be served consecutively, court records said.
Multiple charges were dismissed, including two counts of OVI and one count each of vehicular assault, aggravated possession of drugs and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges reach back to a crash just after 8 p.m. on March 5, 2023, when Vicars was driving a 2001 Ford Escape on Union road when he went left of center and crashed head-on into a 2005 Ford Focus driven by a 25-year-old Middletown man, according to a crash report filed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Lebanon Post.
The driver of the Focus sustained serious injuries, while Vicars had minor injuries, the crash report said. Medics took both to Atrium Medical Center.
Vicars tested positive for amphetamines, cannabinoids and opiates, according to the crash report.
