Dayton woman convicted in fatal car crash sentenced again

A Dayton woman convicted in a Lebanon Realtor’s death during a high-speed police chase was resentenced Monday to the same prison term as the first time.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Krumholtz had sentenced Alyssa Irwin-Debraux in February 2019 after she pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, failure to comply with an order or signal or a police officer and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

The charges were in connection to the Sept. 11, 2018, Moraine police pursuit that resulted in the death of Lebanon Realtor Mary Taulbee, whose car was struck during the chase of a stolen Jeep. The chase reached more than 80 mph, records show.

Krumholtz previously sentenced Irwin-Debraux, 20, to serve 11 years on the manslaughter charge and 18 months each on the other charges back-to-back-to-back instead of at the same time.

Krumholtz sentenced the woman to the same sentence again Monday afternoon.

The reason for the second sentencing hearing was Irwin-Debraux appealed the first, arguing the judge didn’t follow the procedure laid out in state law and that the sentence she received was “cruel and unusual.”

The appeals court found the trial judge needed to take a section of code into consideration before sentencing to her serve the terms consecutively.

Irwin-Debraux, who had no prior criminal record, at her first sentencing apologized in court to many of those involved in and affected by her actions along Ohio 741 through Moraine and Miami Twp. that evening.

But Krumholtz said the words of the defendant – who earlier said in court documents she did not directly cause Taulbee’s death – were insufficient.

Prosecutors in court documents sought a sentence of 15½ years in prison, calling the incident “an easily preventable tragedy.” Defense attorney Keith Fricker asked for leniency, including community control.

Fricker in court documents described his client as a “good and kind young woman.” But she has “severe substance abuse issues with addiction to drugs, meth, crack, cocaine and others.”

In earlier accounts, Irwin-Debraux told authorities she stole a Jeep to flee an attempted rape. Krumholtz said at the first sentencing he did not find that explanation credible.

“It defies (logic) to believe that someone who is fleeing an attempted rape would not stop for an oncoming police officer to seek the assistance and protection,” he said.

The high-speed chase involving Moraine police officer Matt Barrie began after a Jeep was reported stolen and Barrie spotted a vehicle on Ohio 741 matching its description, authorities said.

Authorities said Barrie sought to pull over the Jeep, but it fled, heading south into Miami Twp.

During the chase, a car heading north on Ohio 741 attempted to pull over into another lane to prevent being hit by the Jeep, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The car hit the back of a Hyundai being driven by Taulbee. The impact caused Taulbee to lose control of the car and spin in front of the Moraine cruiser, authorities said. The cruiser struck the Hyundai, killing Taulbee.

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