A 36-year-old Minerva man is set to spend the next eight years in prison for a crash that claimed the life of a Louisville man.
Justin Keister, 36, pleaded guilty on Nov. 8 to a felony aggravated vehicular homicide charge and a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge.
On Aug. 19 of this year, Keister crossed the center line while traveling south on State Route 44 in Louisville and struck another car just before 12:30 p.m., according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Kenneth Russell, 86, of Louisville, was the driver of the other car. He was transported to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital where he died.
Prosecutors said Keister was under the influence of drugs, which was a determining factor of the crash.
In addition to the eight-year prison sentence, Keister’s driver’s license was suspended for life by Stark County Common Pleas Judge Taryn Heath.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Keister has been in trouble concerning his driving record.
In 2014 he overturned a utility vehicle and killed Sabrina M. Clark, 37, the passenger in his vehicle. He was sentenced on charges of vehicular homicide and reasonable control violations to 180 days in Stark County Jail after pleading no contest for that crash.