Trotwood man found guilty in crash that killed Dayton mother, 2 teens

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A jury found a man guilty on all charges connected to a deadly crash in Trotwood that killed a woman and two teens and also injured the defendant and a 3-year-old boy.

Antonion K. Ward II, 20, of Trotwood, was found guilty Thursday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court of three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 31.

Antonion Ward II

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

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Credit: Montgomery County Jail

He was accused of driving a a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze through a red light the night of July 15, 2020, while driving south on Olive Road at Little Richmond Road. The car hit a Mazda CX-9 driven by 35-year-old Leah Smith of Dayton, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Both cars went off the road, overturned and hit multiple trees, according to a crash report. The Cruze also caught fire.

Smith was killed in the crash, as well as two of Ward’s passengers — 18-year-olds Michael Stephens, of Trotwood, and Elgin Wilson IV, of Dayton.

Smith’s 3-year-old son suffered minor injuries in the crash, and Ward was taken to a local hospital with suspected serious injuries, according to the crash report.

Ward is held in the Montgomery County Jail.

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