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Guilty plea to cop's death Kentite to be sentenced for drunken driving fatality

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Marci Piltz
December 13, 2008

By Marci Piltz

Record-Courier staff writer

A Kent man pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge of killing a Portage County law enforcement officer in a drunken driving crash in August 2007.

Christopher R. Jones, 23, of 619 Walter St., Apt. 3, appeared before Judge John Enlow in Portage County Common Pleas Court with his attorney, William Lentz, to enter a guilty plea to two of four charges he was indicted on earlier this year.

Jones will be sentenced in January.

Jones was driving a 2002 Acura RSX southbound on Diagonal Road in Mantua, just north of Frost Road, around 3:20 a.m. when his vehicle veered left of center, according to previously released information from the Ravenna Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol. It then struck a 1999 Ford Taurus headed northbound and driven by Donovan Svab, a part-time Garrettsville police officer and full-time Ohio Department of Natural Resources officer.

The patrol said neither driver was wearing a seat belt, and Svab's vehicle rolled over and came to a rest on its roof in a ditch. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Portage County Coroner's Office.

Jones suffered injuries in the crash as well, and it took medical personnel more than one hour to extricate him from the wreckage.

Jones was indicted in July on two counts each of aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle under the influence. On Friday, he pleaded guilty to one of each of the charges and the remaining two were dismissed.

Svab's widow, Nicole, was in the courtroom Friday when Jones entered the plea, as were his parents and brother, Dustin, a Ravenna police officer.

"I'm glad this phase is over," said Deirdre Svab, Donovan's mother. "Now I can bury my son."

Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci represented the state in the case and told Enlow that as part of the plea agreement with Jones a joint recommendation of a four year prison sentence had been agreed upon by both the prosecution and defense.

Dustin Svab, who coordinates the Portage County Safe Communities program which is aimed at reducing motor vehicle crashes and fatalities, said the plea came at a difficult time, "at the very time of the year that has become so difficult to endure due to the loss of Donovan.

"It is our hope that others can learn from the outcome of this incident and the far outreaching affects it has not only to family members, but to everyone that knew him." Dustin said.

Donovan's widow, Nicole, also made a brief statement following the hearing.

"Today's events will not bring back my children's father, but I am glad Mr. Jones is admitting responsibility for his actions," she said.

--

E-mail:

mpiltz@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-298-1128




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Previous 10 Comments    of 26 Total Comments
6.
    Posted by Hannibal December 13, 2008
This poor family should have NEVER have gone through any of this. It could have been avoided...frankly billshane, when you resort to name calling, it shows your brain power and the sensibility of your comment. Both are at fault. It comes to our attention in the news when the drinker dies, but in real life, either could have died. Go finish your G.E.D.

5.
    Posted by billshane342 December 13, 2008
Hannibal..
Hey dipwod, you are right that wearing seat belts do save lives and maybe Svab would not have been killed, but how bout a little blame for the drunk driver.
If he was not drunk, Officer Svab would not have been in the collision. Seems the drunk guy never gets killed. Just the innocent people they wreck into.

I say, four years sucks...too little, but at least with this plea there can be closure and the victims can move on.



4.
    Posted by Hannibal December 13, 2008
Too bad Donovan Svab didn't wear his seatbelt. He'd probably be alive to share Christmas with his family. If Donovan Svab wore a seatbelt that kid wouldn't be doing 4 years in prison but would face failure to control and a DUI. The kid, well 23 year olds think they're invincible. I'd expect him to forget his seatbelt. Donovan Svab was 38,had a wife and kidsdepending on him and should have thought about THEM when he neglected to buckle. What is hard to believe is that he was a policeman and probably saw car wrecks where folks didn't have seatbelts & died. Go figure!? My heart goes out to Svab's family. Their suffering was unnecessary. The kid was wrong even more. People...learn to use your seatbelts!

3.
    Posted by MyGirl42187 December 13, 2008
Best wishes to the Svab family.

There are no real words to express our sympathy for this good family.

2.
    Posted by Zippster December 13, 2008
I'm baffled as to why Mr Svab wasn't wearing a seat belt. You would think spending time on the force and seeing the effects of being thrown from a vehicle in a collision would cause a person to buckle up. Then again, I know a lot of medical people who smoke and drink themselves silly - and they see the effects of that constantly too.

But yeah.... Only 4 years for taking a life while driving drunk? Pathetic.

1.
    Posted by Helspont December 13, 2008
Wow 4 years for DWI,multiple traffic violations AND killing someone.Someone is dead and a family has to go through all that pain.Utter fail once again by the "justice" system.

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