Monty Charles Little, 49, of Spring Valley was sentenced Wednesday by Greene County Common Pleas Judge Michael Buckwalter. Little pleaded guilty Oct. 10 to felony charges of failure to stop after an accident and tampering with evidence. Buckwalter sentenced him to three years for failure to stop and one year for tampering with evidence, to be served consecutively, according to sentencing documents filed Thursday.
Investigators determined Little was the driver of a vehicle headed south on Cincinnati Avenue around 10 p.m. April 25 when it hit Grooms as he was crossing the street near North Miami Avenue, according to the Xenia Police Division. The vehicle did not stop and continued south on Cincinnati Avenue.
Little’s license was suspended and he panicked and left the scene but later confessed everything to police. He has no prior felony convictions and has been in jail since early May, his defense attorney, Kirsten Knight wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday requesting probation.
“The accident that occurred was truly an accident,” Knight said. “The accident report notes that the crosswalk that the pedestrian was in has signs indicating to pedestrians that traffic has the right of way.”
Credit: Greene County Jail
Credit: Greene County Jail
Little’s attorney also noted the pedestrian came into the roadway abruptly and a toxicology report determined the pedestrian was under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamines.
“Mr. Little is in no way trying to place blame on the individual who was struck, however, it does appear from the evidence that this was truly just a tragic accident,” she said. “Had Mr. Little not left the scene this would have been a misdemeanor at best if there were criminal charges at all.”
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