'Drag racing' teen guilty of vehicular homicide sentenced for fatal Iowa City crash
A second teenager accused of drag racing in a fatal Iowa City crash has been sentenced to serve a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Kesean Ford and Elijah Seals, then each 17 at the time, collided with 22-year-old Jennifer Russell's vehicle while locked in what police believe was a side-by-side "drag race" down East Court Street on May 27, 2023.
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Seals and Ford allegedly failed to stop at the posted sign and their vehicles collided with Russell's car, which had just entered the intersection. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicles traveling at a high speed down Court Street, according to police reports.
Russell died from her injuries a short time later.
Russell's family filed a civil lawsuit in July 2023 against Seals, Ford and the companies that insure their vehicles. The case was dismissed later that year without prejudice because of a procedural error.
The Johnson County Attorney's Office filed criminal charges less than a week after the lawsuit was dismissed.
Ford, 19, was sentenced Monday, May 19, after pleading guilty in February to one count of homicide by a vehicle traveling more than 25 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, a Class "C" felony in Iowa. A judge sentenced him to an "indeterminate term not to exceed 10 years," meaning Ford could be released before serving the full length of his term.
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Seals pleaded guilty in 2024 to reckless driving causing homicide by vehicle.
As part of their plea deals, Seals and Ford agreed to pay the Russell family $150,000 in victim restitution. Ford is also responsible for approximately $15,000 in additional payments for funeral costs and other minor court expenses.
Seals entered an Alford Plea in September, which allowed him to plead guilty without admitting he committed a crime. He instead only acknowledged that a jury would likely find him guilty of vehicular homicide because of reckless driving if the case went to trial.
In December, Seals was given a 10-year suspended sentence. He was informed he could avoid prison time if he completed three years of probation under certain conditions, including "commit(ing) no new law violations."
Seals' license was also revoked as part of his plea agreement and sentencing.
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On May 14, Iowa City police initiated a traffic stop on Seals' vehicle. The 19-year-old allegedly "ran from the vehicle on foot" before the officer reached the car. Criminal complaints indicate that the officer didn't immediately pursue Seals, though he was apprehended when he allegedly returned "to claim the vehicle."
Seals' probation is supervised by the Sixth Judicial Circuit's Department of Correctional Services. A hearing will be held if his probation officer decides to revoke his probation or if he holds Seals in contempt of court.
A judge could decide to affirm that Seals was in contempt of court and sentence him to jail time or revoke his probation. Seals would be required to serve the remainder of the 10-year prison sentence if his probation is revoked, minus time served.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: 2nd 'Drag racing' teen sentenced to prison for fatal Iowa City crash
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