'That was my sister:' Akron woman gets 7 to 10½ in prison for crash that killed Tamika Lee

Lasia Vandiver closed her eyes and dabbed at her tears with a tissue as she spoke about her sister, 49-year-old Tamika Lee, who died last September in a car crash.

"That was my sister," Vandiver said, dabbing her tears with a tissue. "She loved everybody. She wouldn't have wanted this to happen this way."

Vandiver was joined by over a dozen of Lee's family members, many of whom wore shirts with Lee's photo emblazoned on the front, for the sentencing of the woman who drove Lee to her death.

Sherrod Oliver, 36 of Akron, will face a mandatory seven years in prison but could spend up to 10½ years incarcerated. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Joy Malek Oldfield also imposed a lifetime driver's license suspension, a $525 fine and two to five years of post-release parole.

Guilty plea: Akron woman pleads guilty in fatal Vernon Odom Boulevard crash that killed Tamika Lee

Oliver pleaded guilty in May to aggravated vehicular homicide, a first-degree felony, and operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Prosecutors dismissed an additional aggravated vehicular homicide count and two counts of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to court documents.

September crash killed woman remembered as friend, parent, family member

Lee died after Oliver's vehicle veered off the road twice before crashing on the 1800 block of Vernon Odom Boulevard on Sept. 14.

Police said Oliver was driving at a high rate of speed while under the influence of alcohol when she lost control of her vehicle. Driving east in a Pontiac G5, she failed to navigate a curve and left the roadway before regaining control.

After reentering the roadway, she lost control again and slid sideways, striking two trees. The first tree hit the passenger side, while the vehicle hit the other head-on.

Lee, the front passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police arrested Oliver about one month later.

Friends, family remember Tamika Lee

Lee was on her way to celebrate her father's birthday when she died, Vandiver recalled at the Monday hearing.

"She said, 'I'll see you in a minute,'" Vandiver said. "Now, my sister isn't coming back."

Lee's husband Joshua Lee spoke remotely from prison. His wife, he said, was his best friend.

"She was a wonderful soul. She loved everybody," he said. "It hurts for me to talk about her in the past tense."

Despite the pain, he said he found a way to accept what happened and learned to forgive Oliver. He hopes Oliver can get the treatment she needs to lead a healthy life.

"My wife always found forgiveness," Lee said. "(Oliver) needs to learn to forgive herself, too."

Sherrod Oliver, defense attorney addresses the family

Oliver rose from her seat and looked down as tears streamed down her face. She told the court that Tamika Lee was her best friend and someone who she cared for.

"I loved Tamika, y'all," she said. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Attorney Noah Munyer said his client wanted to talk to Lee's family in the weeks after the deadly crash, but he advised her to adhere to a no-contact order.

Life in prison: Luther Easter sentenced to life with parole after 28 years for 2022 fatal shooting

"It is true that she wanted to apologize," Munyer explained. "But due to the no contact order and after wrapping up the municipal court, that was not possible until today."

He explained that Oliver has had the longest period of sobriety in her adult life.

With Oliver in prison, her children will be without a parent. Her husband Luther Easter was sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 killing of Dartanian Howard.

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'That was my sister:' Akron woman gets 7 to 10½ in prison for crash that killed Tamika Lee