A Sherrodsville man accused in last year’s fatal St. Patrick’s Day crash that killed his wife reached a plea agreement with prosecutors this week.
49-year-old Richard Sickels pleaded no contest to aggravated vehicular homicide, OVI and vehicular assault. He was initially indicted in October on 8 counts, including a second-degree felony. That count was reduced to a third-degree felony. Sickels is in the Tuscarawas County Jail awaiting sentencing, which will take place July 18th .
State Highway Patrol Sgt. Clinton Armstrong at the time described the crash as a one- vehicle rollover crash that happened around 2:50 a.m. on March 17th on state Route 39 east of Roswell.
They said Sickels was driving, and his wife, 46-year-old Jennifer Sickels, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two backseat passengers were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries.
Prosecutors said Richard Sickels had a blood alcohol level over twice the legal limit. His attorney, former State Rep Brett Hillyer, tried to exclude the blood and urine test results, saying a sample was not preserved, but Judge Michael Ernest overruled. Ernest had called in potential jury members on Tuesday, but the sides reached an agreement the next morning.
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