Man sentenced to prison in fatal drunk utility vehicle crash

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A Philipsburg man accused of drunk joyriding in a utility vehicle before crashing into a ditch, killing two passengers and seriously injuring a third, was sentenced to prison.

Clayton Anthony Cooper, 27, was sentenced by Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy O’Connell to four to six years in prison, and after release will have his driver’s license suspended for two years, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office. He will also pay total restitution of $15,076.94.

Clayton Anthony Cooper. Photo courtesy of Montgomery County Jail

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The prison term was agreed as part of a plea deal, which also said that Cooper could file for judicial release after two years. If that is granted, according to the agreement Cooper would be on parole for five years, one of the conditions of which would be he would be forbidden from drinking alcohol.

At the time of writing, Cooper was booked in the Montgomery County Jail.

Late Oct. 14, 2022, after drinking Cooper reportedly took three women for a joyride in a 2021 Polaris RZR utility vehicle.

While riding on the property of a tree nursery in the 1100 block of Hartman Road in Clay Twp., Cooper crashed into a ditch in a field shortly after midnight on Oct. 15, according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol crash report.

Bailey Watson, 21, of Englewood and Madison Grow, 20, of Laura, were killed in the crash. Leah Scott, 20, of Lewisburg and Cooper were seriously injured.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Scott lost consciousness in the crash but then woke up and called 911. Medics took her and Cooper to Miami Valley Hospital, the crash report said.

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