When a vehicle collision leads to severe injury or death, criminal charges can quickly follow. As a Pomeroy vehicular homicide or assault lawyer, I know that these cases are often overwhelming and complex. You may be balancing law enforcement interviews, insurance issues, and community pressure while still trying to understand what happened. My job is to safeguard your rights and explain how the law applies to you situation. I will also begin building a focused defense as early as possible.
Vehicular crimes often stem from unpredictable moments, such as a distraction, mechanical failure, hazardous road condition, or even drunk driving. I look beyond surface-level claims to determine the causes of the incident and ensure that your account of the events receives equal attention in court.
Ohio law outlines multiple forms of vehicular crimes, each with specific legal standards. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.06, Aggravated Vehicular Homicide occurs when a person causes another’s death while operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs (OVI offenses), or while driving recklessly. The same statute also includes Vehicular Homicide, which typically involves negligent operation without the element of intoxication.
O.R.C. § 2903.08 defines Aggravated Vehicular Assault and Vehicular Assault for cases involving serious physical harm rather than death. The distinction depends on the driver’s state of mind, such as whether the conduct was reckless, negligent, or influenced by substances.
Even a momentary lapse in judgment can lead to these charges, but the law requires prosecutors to prove exactly how your conduct caused the harm. As a vehicular homicide or assault lawyer in Pomeroy, I will look at whether the statutory elements exist and whether the state’s evidence meets the legal standard required for conviction.
Prosecutors often rely heavily on physical and technical evidence when pursuing vehicular homicide or assault charges. Accident reconstruction specialists may analyze speed, impact angles, and road conditions. Toxicology reports, vehicle data modules, and witness accounts may also be used to establish fault. However, these findings are only as accurate as the methods used to collect and interpret them.
I review each piece of evidence carefully, including expert reports, reconstruction data, and mechanical analyses. My background in forensic science allows me to identify inconsistencies and question flawed conclusions about speed, causation, or driver behavior. For example, electronic data showing braking or acceleration must be considered alongside factors like mechanical issues.
Early legal intervention can make a difference in vehicular crime cases. From the moment law enforcement begins its investigation, the statements, data downloads, and testing results start shaping the case against you. Having a Pomeroy vehicular assault attorney involved early ensures that your rights are protected and that evidence is reviewed properly before conclusions are drawn.
I manage communication with police, prosecutors, and experts so that you do not have to. I also advise you on what information to provide and when silence is the best option. You have the right to consult with counsel before any questioning, and exercising that right is an important decisions to protect your rights.
Whether you are purely innocent of the crime you are being accused of, or the injury you caused with your vehicle should not rise to this level of charge, I am ready to hear you out. As a Pomeroy vehicular homicide / assault lawyer, I draw on years of courtroom experience and forensic training to identify weak points in the state’s case and present a defense built on facts. Call me today to schedule a confidential consultation if you have been charged with this crime and need someone to fight for you and your reputation.
Client was accused of being under the influence of narcotics. Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) was successfully challenged.
A young college student was stopped for speeding on Stimpson Ave. The Ohio State Patrol Officer administered field sobriety tests and placed the Client under arrest. The Client agreed to take a breath test and “blew” a .16. In reviewing the OSP video tape of field sobriety tests, Andrew found that the Trooper had unfairly graded the Client. Andrew was able to negotiate a reduced charge based on his client’s performance on the field sobriety tests.
Client was charged with OVI on the basis of being under influence of narcotics. The Officer who made the traffic stop was a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) and the OVI charge was based solely on the Officer’s opinion as a DRE. Andrew’s cross-examination of the Officer at a suppression hearing revealed that the Officer’s opinion’s were based on flawed assumptions. The case was dismissed.
The client was charged with an OVI, facing a significant license suspension and fine. Their charge was negotiated to physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated, which carried a much more lenient sentence.
Client was charged with Operating a Vehicle while Impaired, a misdemeanor. Attorney Andrew Stevenson negotiated their participation in a Driver Intervention Program, preventing a conviction and a permanent criminal record.
Client was charged with a felony OVI while possessing a firearm. If convicted, they could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in jail, plus additional sentencing for the weapon enhancement. Attorney Andrew Stevenson negotiated a diversion in the case, reducing the charge to reckless operation of a vehicle while possessing criminal tools.
Client was charged with OVI and had a prior OVI conviction from 15 years earlier, outside Ohio’s 10-year lookback window. Attorney Andrew Stevenson negotiated the case to a Driver Intervention Program rather than a second OVI conviction.
Client was charged with an OVI, a charge that carries mandatory jail time, license suspension, and a permanent mark on their driving record. Attorney Andrew Stevenson negotiated with the prosecution to secure a reduction. The OVI charge was amended, and our client was able to complete a Driver Intervention Program in lieu of an OVI conviction avoiding jail time, protecting their license, and keeping an OVI off their permanent record.
Attorney Andrew Stevenson represented a client charged with Operating a Vehicle Impaired. After reviewing the case and negotiating with the prosecution, the charge was resolved through a Driver Intervention Program rather than an OVI conviction.
Attorney Andrew Stevenson secured a favorable outcome for his client charged with misdemeanor OVI by successfully negotiating a reduction to reckless operation. The result allowed the client to avoid an OVI conviction and the significant long-term consequences that accompany it.
Attorney Andrew Stevenson’s client was charged with OVI, an offense that can carry up to six months in jail, fines up to $1,075, and a license suspension of as long as three years. Stevenson worked out a resolution placing the client in a Driver Intervention Program in place of jail, and clearing the charge from their record.
A client facing an OVI charge retained Attorney Andrew Stevenson. After review and negotiation with the prosecutor, the OVI was reduced to a Reckless Operation offense avoiding mandatory jail time, a license suspension of up to three years, and a permanent OVI on the client’s record.
Client faced a first-offense misdemeanor OVI and the mandatory penalties that come with it: three days in jail, fines up to $1,075, and a one-to-three-year license suspension. Attorney Andrew Stevenson got the charge reduced to Reckless Operation carrying no jail time and a maximum fine of $150.
The client was charged with failure to comply with a police officer’s signal, OVI, and two counts of failure to stop after an accident, facing up to five and a half years in prison. The client pled to the indictment as charged, yet Andrew Stevenson’s sentencing advocacy still secured probation and kept the client out of prison entirely.
The client came to the firm facing aggravated vehicular assault, OVI, failure to stop after an accident, and driving under suspension potentially taking on up to 14 years in prison, with the aggravated vehicular assault count carrying mandatory prison time. Attorney Andrew Stevenson resolved the entire case to a single minor misdemeanor with only a fine, no jail, and no felony conviction.
Client faced both an OVI count and a paired unlawful-alcohol-concentration charge, along with the mandatory jail time a first-offense OVI conviction carries. Attorney Andrew Stevenson resolved the case to a single OVI plea served through Ohio’s 72-hour Driver Intervention Program (no jail), with the unlawful-alcohol-concentration count dismissed.
A .230 BAC reading combined with a prior OVI conviction brought the client a second-offense high-tier charge, carrying a mandatory minimum of 20 days in jail, license suspension of up to seven years, and 90 days of vehicle immobilization. Andrew Stevenson negotiated the case down to a first-offense OVI, eliminating the second-offense mandatory minimums and the harsher license and vehicle consequences.
A clients first-offense misdemeanor OVI carries a mandatory three days in jail, fines up to $1,075, and a license suspension for one to three years. Attorney Andrew Stevenson got his client’s case dismissed.
Client was charged with first-offense misdemeanor OVI, an offense carrying a mandatory three days in jail, fines up to $1,075, and a license suspension of one to three years. Stevenson got the charge reduced to Underage OVI (OVUAC), a fourth-degree misdemeanor with no mandatory jail time, fines up to $250, and a license suspension of 90 days to two years.