Man gets 8 years in crash death

FREMONT – A man who caused a car crash that killed a city woman last summer will spend eight years in prison, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Judge John Dewey ordered DaShaun Cash, 28, to serve eight years in prison on one felony count each of aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular assault.

Cash will serve the sentences at the same time. He pleaded guilty to the charges.

He was the driver in a crash that killed his passenger, Latoya Minniefield, 33, of Fremont, and hurt his second passenger, Brittany Minniefield, of Fremont, on June 1 in Washington Township.

Cash told an emergency medical service worker at the scene that he was driving the car and had too much to drink, Sandusky County Prosecutor Tom Stierwalt said.

A blood test showed his blood-alcohol content was 0.072, which is less than the legal limit of 0.08, said Trooper Matt Manly of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Sandusky Post. The test was taken six hours after the crash, Stierwalt said.

Speed was also a factor, Manly said.

During the sentencing hearing, family members of Latoya Minniefield talked about the heartbreak of losing her but said they forgave Cash, Stierwalt said.

"It was a pretty impassioned, tearful statement," Stierwalt said of comments Minniefield's sister made.

Cash told the families he was sorry for what happened, Stierwalt said. Cash's attorney, Anthony Chudzinski, declined to comment.

The crash happened at 12:30 a.m. when Cash was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu east on Sandusky County Road 65 west of Sandusky County Road 90.

Cash drove the car off the right side of the road, over-corrected and brought the car back onto the road, according to the patrol. He then lost control of the vehicle, which slid off the left side of the road and hit a tree.

mksmith@gannett.com

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