Marion County Judge Jason Warner, wife, convicted after hit and run crash

While several major stories occurred in Marion County in 2021, there was a person that plainly topped them all.

The trial, conviction and sentencing of Marion County Judge Jason Warner was the best story of the 12 months, as chosen by Marion Star audience and workers.

Warner, who was elected in 2018, was concerned in a strike-skip crash in June 2020 that left a 19-calendar year-old male injured.

Even with calls for his resignation immediately after the crash, Warner as an alternative made the decision to area himself on compensated administrative go away throughout the proceedings.

Jason and Julia Warner ended up discovered responsible in March by browsing Judge Patricia Cosgrove. In April, each and every had been convicted with a single count of complicity to leaving the scene of an accident, a fourth-diploma felony, and just one rely of complicity to tampering with evidence, a third-diploma felony. While the prosecution did advise maximum jail sentences for each Jason and Julia, Cosgrove dominated the two will provide two a long time in prison concurrently.

Far more: Marion Choose W.T. Edwards doubted Decide Warner’s crash story, urged him to self-report

Cosgrove stated a key aspect in this situation was that the two of the Warners exited the vehicle following the crash and cited many witness testimonies who reported so. Not only did this take out a critical piece of evidence from the scene of the criminal offense, the Jeep, but it also prevented law enforcement from getting ready to perform any blood alcoholic beverages assessments to see if impaired driving was at engage in.

Margret Tomaro, of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office environment, read statements from Colton Gray, the sufferer of the crash, and his mom Shannon Taylor.

In the statements from Taylor and Grey, they both equally reported they were in favor of holding the Warner’s to the highest common of the regulation. Taylor explained the Warners still left her son to die following the accident and she cannot start to picture the turmoil he endured and proceeds to endure. Gray, on the other hand, mentioned his lifetime has not been the exact since the accident.

Of the variations in Gray’s lifetime, he mentioned he continue to gets flashbacks to the night of the incident when he rides in a car. More, his mobility abilities are even now hindered, he said, and famous it impacts him when executing leisure actions like actively playing baseball. On the night of the crash, Grey experienced to be mechanically taken out from his car or truck by EMS.

Tale carries on

After the trial, the Warners appealed their conviction and ended up authorized to remain absolutely free on bond in the course of the appeals system. In late November, however, the appeals courtroom upheld the conviction, stating in its ruling that enough proof was presented for conviction.

The Warners were being permitted to remain no cost on bond as they appealed their scenario to the Ohio Supreme Courtroom in December. No matter if the state’s greatest court will choose the situation has not nonetheless been determined.

In November, Matthew P. Frericks, justice of the peace with the Marion Municipal Courtroom, was appointed to swap Warner as Marion County Prevalent Pleas Court Choose by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

This post at first appeared on Marion Star: Story of 2021: Warners convicted immediately after strike and run crash