DAYTON — Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr. announced Wednesday that Clayton Daniel Hughes, 26, of Blacklick, has been indicted for the killing of four men and seriously injuring a fifth in a traffic crash that occurred on April 1 just outside Dayton International Airport.
On the afternoon of Monday, April 1, multiple police departments received calls concerning a reckless driver on I-70 near the airport exit. The reckless driver committed a hit-and-run when he rear-ended a pickup truck and kept driving.
The pickup driver followed the reckless driver as he exited the highway at the Dayton International Airport access road. The vehicle continued at a high rate of speed, going more than 70 mph, and at times near 90 mph as it traveled onto the airport road, far exceeding the posted 40 mph speed limit.
At the intersection of Terminal and Boeing drives, Hughes T-boned the victim’s vehicle. Four of the five occupants, Larry Edwards, 77, of Tipp City, Richard Coatney, 77, of Piqua, Richard Turnbull, 67, of Lewisburg, and Stephen Cassel, 72, of Clayton, were killed upon impact.
The fifth occupant was seriously injured and was transported to the hospital.
A lengthy and exhaustive investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol determined the at-fault driver, Clayton Hughes, was not only driving at dangerous speeds, but also was under the influence of alcohol.
Wednesday, the Montgomery County Grand Jury indicted the defendant for:
• Eight counts of aggravated vehicular homicide
• One count of aggravated vehicular assault
• One count of vehicular assault
• One count of failure to stop after accident
• One count of operating a vehicle intoxicated
“Four innocent men were killed, and a fifth man’s world forever changed, by the reckless actions of a drunk driver,” Heck said. “This senseless tragedy serves as a stark reminder of devastating consequences driving under the influence can have on innocent families. This defendant must be held accountable for his dangerous action.”
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Hughes.
