The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Man admits causing fatal crash
A Painesville Township man has admitted causing a fatal crash at the Mentor-Kirtland Hills border while driving with a suspended license and under the influence of alcohol.
Joshua O’Keefe, 22, pleaded guilty as charged April 9 in Lake County Common Pleas Court to felony counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and failure to comply with an order or signal of police, plus a misdemeanor OVI count.
His friend and front-seat passenger, 20-year-old Taylor Castilyn of Perry, died as a result of head injuries from the crash, which occurred around 1:30 a.m. July 16.
Assistant County Prosecutor Paul Kaplan said the incident occurred after O’Keefe attempted to evade a Kirtland Hills officer and crashed into a fence on the Mentor portion of the Osborne Farms driveway on Center Street.
Castilyn was transported to TriPoint Medical Center by the Kirtland Fire Department. She then was flown by medical helicopter to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.
O’Keefe faces between two and 11 years in prison and a lifetime driver’s license suspension when he is sentenced May 21 by Judge Richard L. Collins Jr.
O’Keefe’s blood-alcohol content was .137, Kaplan said.
After the judge asked how much O’Keefe had to drink that night, the defendant
replied, “I don’t remember. I was intoxicated.”
O’Keefe remains free on bond, with conditions such as wearing a Secure Continuous Alcohol Monitor on his ankle, avoiding driving and having no contact with the victim’s family.
He was represented in court by defense attorneys Richard J. Perez and Hector Martinez.
The defendant’s father,
62-year-old Timothy O’Keefe of Painesville Township, was previously found guilty in Mentor Municipal Court of wrongful entrustment, an unclassified misdemeanor, for allowing his son to use his Toyota RAV4 that day. However, the case against the elder O’Keefe was later dismissed after he successfully completed certain conditions.