Wapak man who suffered stroke while driving to serve jail time
Mar. 14—WAPAKONETA — A 71-year-old Wapakoneta man who caused a fatal car crash when he suffered a stroke while driving last February will spend seven days in jail.
David H. Lavallee pleaded no contest to a single count of vehicular manslaughter, a second-degree misdemeanor, in Auglaize County Municipal Court Friday for his role in causing a five-car crash that killed Joseph Ingram.
Prosecutors dismissed one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor, in exchange for Lavallee's no contest plea.
Defense attorney Rafael Villegas called it a "complicated" and "tragic" situation as he alleged his client suffered a stroke shortly before the crash.
Assistant Prosecutor Laia Zink agreed the case is "difficult," but asked the court to "balance" those considerations against Ingram's death and Lavallee's speed at the time of the crash — nearly twice the posted speed limit.
The five-car crash occurred on Bellefontaine Street in Wapakoneta at the Interstate 75 overpass on Feb. 26, 2024.
A crash report from the Wapakoneta Police Department alleges Lavallee was traveling westbound on Bellefontaine Street when his 2008 Cadillac sideswiped another vehicle.
Lavallee reportedly then failed to stop for a traffic signal at the intersection of Bellefontaine Street and Apollo Drive, striking the rear of a vehicle driven by Joseph Ingram, who succumbed to his injuries.
Ingram's vehicle pushed into the rear of another vehicle, which in turn struck another car.
Lavallee suffered no injuries, but his wife and an occupant from another vehicle were transported to local hospitals.
Tricia Lavallee told the court she unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to turn off the car's engine when she noticed her husband unconscious behind the wheel, but Lavallee's foot was on the accelerator.
Lavallee is "incredibly remorseful," Villegas said as he asked the court to sentence Lavallee to house arrest in lieu of jail so Lavallee can monitor his health and watch after his wife, who broke both her arms and legs in the crash and now struggles to sit or walk.
Zink reduced her sentencing recommendation from 30 days to one week of jail time followed by house arrest at the request of Ingram's family. She asked the court to suspend Lavallee's license for one year as well.
Judge Andrew Augsburger called the case a "tremendous tragedy," but said he could not ignore Lavallee's speed — almost double the posted speed limit at the time of the crash. "I have to look at all of the facts," he said.
Augsburger sentenced Lavallee to seven days in the Auglaize County Correctional Institution followed by three weeks of house arrest and one year of unsupervised community control.
Lavallee's sentence includes a 90-day suspended jail term if he violates probation, as well as a $250 fine and one-year suspension of his driver's license.
A civil lawsuit is pending to determine Lavallee's restitution to Ingram's family.
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