Woman charged in crash that killed veteran in Riverside

ajc.com

A woman indicted Thursday is accused of running a red light, causing a crash in February that killed a Dayton man in Riverside.

Stephanie Ann Dill, 39, of Dayton is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 14 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court for vehicular homicide and a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter.

The crash victim was identified as 57-year-old Leonard LaPoma of Dayton, a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to a two-vehicle crash reported around 3:20 p.m. Feb. 18 at the intersection of Harshman Road and state Route 4 in Riverside.

Dill was driving a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz southeast on Harshman Road when she did not stop at the red light and struck the driver’s side door of a 2019 Nissan Altima driven by LaPoma that was turning onto Harshman Road from the northbound exit ramp of state Route 4, according to a crash report.

Dill was taken to Miami Valley Hospital for a minor injury and two children in the car, a 14-year-old girl riding in the front passenger seat and an 11-year-old girl in the back seat, both were taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital for possible injuries, the report stated.

LaPoma was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant and longtime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Riverside. He was survived by his husband, daughter and son, according to his obituary.

A warrant was issued for Dill’s arrest following her indictment.

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