WILMINGTON — A motion/final pretrial is set for a Wilmington man currently facing 20 charges related to a two-vehicle accident on May 28 that injured a New Vienna woman and numerous others.
Magistrate Helen Rowlands scheduled Justin Lemmings, 18, to appear before Judge John “Tim” Rudduck in Clinton County Common Pleas Court on Aug. 8.
Lemmings appeared via video conference from the Clinton County Jail, where he is incarcerated.
Others present in court were Clinton County Prosecutor Rick Moyer, Assistant Prosecutor Katie Wilkin, defense attorney John Kaspar, along with family members of Lemmings, and of Ashley Davis, the New Vienna woman who was seriously injured in the crash.
Lemmings was indicted in Clinton County Common Pleas Court June 10 on 11 counts of alleged second-degree felony felonious assault; six counts of alleged third-degree felony aggravated vehicle assault; one count of alleged fifth-dgree felony endangering children; and two counts of alleged third-degree felony abduction.
Based on information from the Ohio Supreme Court felony sentencing quick reference guide, if found guilty on all counts, he could possibly face up to approximately 30 years in prison.
The large number of charges against Lemmings is partly due to the number of people injured, Clinton County Prosecutor Richard “Rick” W. Moyer recently told the News Journal.
Some of the counts go toward the fact that Lemmings was operating an automobile which, said Moyer, is “in fact a deadly weapon.”
The counts also cover the allegation the driver was over the legal limit of alcohol, the county prosecutor said.
The charge of “endangering children” goes to the fact there was a juvenile in the car Lemmings was driving while allegedly over the alcohol limit, said Moyer.
The two abduction charges speak to allegations that passengers wanted to get out of the car Lemmings was operating and allegedly they were not allowed to get out, Moyer said.
The crash on SR 73 in Wilmington involved a 2002 Chevrolet Impala driven by Lemmings and a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox SUV driven by Ashley Davis, 33, of New Vienna.
A witness stated that the Impala operated by Lemmings ran a red light and T-boned the Equinox.
Ashley Davis, who had been listed in critical condition after incurring several serious injuries that required surgery, was able to return home several days ago and continues rehabilitation.
Lemmings, currently incarcerated in the Clinton County Jail on a $500,000 bond, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on June 4 in Clinton County Municipal Court, where he originally faced five counts of felonious assault, a second-degree felony.
