Semi driver in deadly I-70 crash pleads not guilty to 26 charges

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NEWARK, Ohio ( WCMH ) – The man who was driving a semi-truck that started a chain reaction crash on Interstate 70 and killed six people was arraigned in a Licking County courtroom Tuesday morning.

Jacob McDonald, 61, pleaded not guilty to 26 total charges – including six counts of vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, nine counts of vehicular assault, a fourth-degree felony, and 11 counts of first-degree misdemeanor assault.

Defense attorneys for McDonald asked the Licking County Common Pleas judge for a reduced bond amount, citing their client’s resources. The prosecution requested the bond remain at $1 million, saying that McDonald was driving at 74 MPH in a 70 MPH zone and that he reportedly made no effort to brake or avoid the crash. The judge ultimately decided to keep McDonald’s bond at $1 million.

The crash, which occurred in November 2023, killed six people – including three Tuscarawas Valley High School students from northeast Ohio.

In dash camera video, McDonald’s truck is seen driving closely in traffic and failing to slow down as he approached slow traffic.

In a chain of events, McDonald struck a Nissan Murano, which was propelled forward into a charter bus full of high school students. The bus was then forced into a Toyota Highlander, which hit a Volvo truck.

Victims pronounced dead at the scene from the bus included Katelyn Owens, 15, of Mineral City, Josh Mosley, 18, of Mineral City, and Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar.

Three people in a passenger car were also pronounced dead: Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre, Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar, and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar. Kennat was a teacher, and Gaynor and Wigfield were chaperones, the school district said.

The crashes resulted in a massive fire , smoke pouring out of the bus and the interstate shut down for hours. As seen in a video released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol , the fire burned through the semi-truck, leaving nothing but the frame of the trailer.

McDonald was tested at the scene after the crash, but he was not impaired in any way, according to police.

Tuesday’s hearing comes just weeks after the families of Owens, Mosely and Wigfield sued a trucking company for wrongful death, negligence and vicarious liability . Among those sued are Mid-State Systems, FYDA Freightliner Columbus Inc., Pioneer Trails, McDonald and the operator of the bus.

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