Phillipsburg man indicted in OVI crash that killed two women, injured third

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Crime & Law
By
Nov 14, 2023
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A Phillipsburg man indicted Tuesday is accused of joyriding in a utility vehicle, when he crashed into a ditch, killing two of his passengers and seriously injuring a third.

Clayton Anthony Cooper, 26, is charged with four counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless homicide, and one count each of aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular assault, assault, OVI and criminal trespass, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.

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

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

ExplorePREVIOUS COVERAGE: Two dead following a utility vehicle crash in Clay Twp.

Two of the passengers, 21-year-old Bailey Watson of Englewood and 20-year-old Madison Grow of Laura, were killed in the crash.

The third woman, Leah Scott, 20, of Lewisburg, and Cooper were seriously injured.

The prosecutor’s office said that Scott lost consciousness in the crash but regained consciousness and called 911. Medics took her and Cooper to Miami Valley Hospital, according to troopers.

Cooper is in the Montgomery County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

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Daniel Susco is a Dayton-area native and staff writer covering breaking news throughout the greater Dayton area. He holds a journalism degree from Ohio University and began writing for the Dayton Daily News, Hamilton Journal-News, Springfield News-Sun, and Dayton.com in 2019.