News
Homeowners: Glouster Crash Felt Like ‘Tremor’
By: Nathan McGuire, Susan Tebben
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Donna Hogsett said she and her husband were asleep in their home on State Route 685 at about 5 a.m. when they were awakened by a loud noise the feeling that their house was shaking. They thought it was a tremor until a neighbor called, telling them a truck had crashed into their home.
The truck was driven by Ryan Keeney, according to investigators with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Keeney and his passenger, Joshua Dewuell, were both officers with the Glouster Police Department, and both in probationary periods with the department, according to Glouster Mayor Miles Wolf.
Keeney was allegedly driving a 2000 Ford pickup truck westbound on the road when he lost control in a curve, according to the highway patrol report. The car then slid off the right side of the road, striking the house, investigators said.
The truck hit the side of the house where a spare bedroom was located, Hogsett said. Though it was unoccupied, Hogsett said the oxygen tank she uses was in the room at the time of the crash.
When the Hogsetts went outside, Donna said she saw the vehicle attempting to drive away despite being stuck in mud.
Both officers were “apparently intoxicated,” according to a release by Wolf. Keeney was charged with failure to control and operating a vehicle while under the influence (OVI). He was taken into custody briefly before being released.
Lt. George Harlow, commander of the Athens Post of the highway patrol, said people charged with OVI are rarely taken to jail, as long as can be released to a sober individual.
Dewuell was not charged in the incident, but both officers were fired by Glouster Police Chief Ryan Nagucki on Monday afternoon.
“Both have been found to be negligent in their conduct which (led) to an automobile accident early this morning,” Wolf stated in a release. “Both had a lapse in judgment which resulted in an internal ‘conduct unbecoming of a police officer’ (violation).”
Keeney appeared in Athens County Municipal Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to both charges. He was not assigned a bond, but a preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 25.
No injuries were reported in the crash.