The truck driver convicted in a 2023 crash that killed six people — including members of the Tuscarawas Valley marching band and three parent chaperones — has been released from jail after serving 18 months.
Jacob McDonald, who was convicted on six counts of vehicular homicide, completed his sentence and was released Jan. 17, according to the Licking County Prosecutor’s Office.
The charges stemmed from a chain-reaction collision on Interstate 70 in November 2023, when McDonald’s semi-truck struck traffic that had slowed in a construction zone. A charter bus carrying Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School band students and chaperones was hit from behind, triggering a fiery crash that also involved multiple passenger vehicles.
Three students — John “Wyatt” Mosley, 18, of Mineral City; Jeffrey “JD” Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn Owens, 15, of Mineral City — and three chaperones — Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar; and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar — were killed.
In June 2025, McDonald received a sentence of 180 days for each count, but jail credit reduced his remaining time to just over seven months. Prosecutors at the time noted that Ohio law limited the penalty to misdemeanors.
Family members of those killed have long criticized the sentencing as insufficient. Among them is Erika Owens, the mother of 15-year-old victim Katelyn Owens, who told Jordan Miller News that McDonald’s release has reopened painful wounds.
“Only 18 months for taking six lives is never going to make me feel justice was served,” Owens said. She described seeing public comments online defending the driver or downplaying his responsibility as “stupid and hurtful,” adding, “Obviously all these people making comments have never lost their kid tragically and they didn’t follow any of the case or trial.”
Owens disputed arguments that McDonald would live with remorse, saying he “wasn’t sorry,” “showed no remorse” and “laughed in our faces at verdict.” She said that for families, the loss remains constant: “Me and many others… live here every day with broken hearts and painful grief.”
Investigators previously testified that McDonald was distracted at the time of the crash, including by cellphone use, a key factor cited by prosecutors during trial.
The November 2023 tragedy prompted statewide scrutiny of commercial driver regulations and sparked legislative discussions at the Ohio Statehouse regarding potential changes to traffic and sentencing laws. Some lawmakers have also signaled interest in reviewing misdemeanor vehicular homicide statutes, though no bill has yet reached the governor’s desk.
Owens said she intends to continue speaking about the crash publicly, both in memory of Katelyn and the other victims — Kennat, Gaynor, Wigfield, Mosley and Worrell.
“As long as I walk this earth, I never get to see my child,” she said.
