Man involved in deadly crash in May that killed Dunlap High girl pleads in traffic court
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Stark County man must do 100 hours of public service and pay a $1,000 fine for being in the wrong lane when he was involved in a deadly collision earlier this year that killed a Dunlap High School girl.
Levi Dietz, 25, who lives in the Stark County city of Wyoming, was driving on the wrong side of the road on May 4 when his 2012 Ford Focus collided head on with a 2012 Nissan Versa, driven by 18-year-old Nevaeh Mitchell .
Dietz's attorney Kevin Sullivan said his client pleaded guilty in Peoria County Circuit Court's traffic division to the petty offense. It's a step below a misdemeanor and does not include any type of probation such as conditional discharge of court supervision.
The judge will check in on Dietz's progress to complete his public service at a hearing in May.
Peoria police have said the 11:30 p.m. collision occurred in the 8400 block of North Orange Prairie Road which is north of the Louisville Slugger complex but south of the Gailey Eye Clinic.
Police say lighting, speed or alcohol not a factor in deadly crash that killed Dunlap senior
Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood stated that Mitchell died after another vehicle driving southbound struck her car head-on while she was driving in the northbound lane of Orange Prairie Road while she was headed home from her job at a nearby AMC movie theater.
According to police reports obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Dietz's body, a statement confirmed by Sullivan on Thursday.
The attorney said, after the hearing, that it appeared lighting on that road may have played a factor, saying his client was unfamiliar with the area and had made a left turn onto the northbound side of Orange Prairie which was headed the wrong way.
A lawsuit was filed in June against Deitz by Mitchell's parents who are the administrators of her estate. The suit seeks unspecified damages but the type of lawsuit that was filed by the family's attorney, Dan Cusack, seeks at least $50,000 in damages, if not more.
Shaun Cusack, one of the family's attorneys, said the family is looking for answers regarding the May 4 collision. That case is set for a hearing later this month. Not much is expected at that hearing, the attorney said, as they are still waiting on reports.