Family and fellow community members of the six people killed in the 2023 Tusky Valley bus crash shared their sadness, frustration and anger in court Monday, often directing it at the truck driver responsible and the judge who handed him a reduced punishment.
Licking County Judge David Branstool sentenced the truck driver, 61-year-old Jacob McDonald to 18 months in jail on six counts of misdemeanor vehicular homicide, crediting him with 323 days already served leaving McDonald with about seven more months in a local jail.
Back in May, the judge found McDonald not guilty on 26 original charges that included felonies that could have put McDonald in state prison for more than 30 years. Instead, 18 months in local jail was the maximum sentence. Branstool’s decision to reduce the charges angered many who spoke, including Phil Fortune, the parent of a Tusky Valley student who survived the crash.
Branstool said prosecutors failed to prove McDonald was distracted by his cell phone before crashing his truck into an SUV and charter bus on November 14th , killing three Tusky Valley students and three parents who were accompanying them on a band trip. McDonald offered a brief apology and said he has no clue what happened.
In addition to the jail sentence, McDonald’s commercial license will be suspended for five years. Victims’ families are pursuing civil lawsuits against McDonald, his employer and others.
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