Molly Vance changes plea in 2024 vehicular homicide
Scott County Court records show Molly Vance, now 37, pled not guilty to a charge of homicide by vehicle – operating under the influence and a charge of operating under the influence first offense on March 19, 2024. She changed her plea to guilty to a charge of Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), a serious misdemeanor, on Friday, June 13.
According to the plea agreement, the maximum penalty Vance faces is up to one year in jail and a fine of $1,250 for the OWI charge. The plea requires Vance to complete the drinking driver program and a substance use evaluation, plus any recommended treatment, at her expense.
Police say Vance's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when she hit Leslie Preisser, 44, of Bettendorf, with an SUV at Riverview Roadhouse in LeClaire in February 2024.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police seeking security footage after rash of arsons near Irving Park
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Police are asking for help to identify the suspect in multiple arsons near Irving Park over the last week. Portland police are asking anyone living near Irving Park to review their security camera footage from July 20 and July 27, as they may have video footage of an arson suspect. The first arsons happened on July 20 and included a shed in the 700 block of Northeast Fremont Street, a trailer parked in the 3100 block of Northeast 8th Street, and a garage door in the 3600 block of Northeast 7th Street. On July 27, police said that several more arsons happened, including a fire that damaged a fence and shed in the 3900 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and one that damaged a vehicle in the 3800 block of Northeast 6th Avenue. Authorities said they are focusing on the area between North Williams Avenue and Northeast 15th Avenue and between Northeast Stanton Street and Northeast Shaver Street. Police are asking any residents living in that area with security footage between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on July 20 and between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on July 27 to share the unedited footage with them online. Anyone with further information about the case is asked to contact Portland police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ohio politicians use Cincinnati fight for their agenda, ignoring tougher issues
Don't be fooled by politicians outraged about the ugly, viral brawl that left Cincinnati with a shiner so big the entire nation noticed. Vice President JD Vance, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Viviek Ramasamy, and U.S. senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted of Ohio aren't upset about the incident that also drew criticism to Columbus and other large American cities. The July 26 downtown Cincinnati fight that sent two to the hospital with non-life-threatening but shocking injuries was awful, but it was far from an example of the worst crime problems communities here or around the nation face. You wouldn't know that listening to Vance and the rest. That is by design and follows a very old playbook. The Cincinnati victims are White. The suspects are Black. Our Republican leaders' and possible future governor's collective outrage against it is "smart" but divisive politics that builds on a long tradition of freaking White people out about the scary Black uprising overtaking larger American cities. Hell, it traces back beyond slavery, it is so old. The rhetoric is shameful, but there are more substantial consequences. The political games played by Vance, Ramaswamy, Moreno and Husted distract from the real conversations about violence that should happen in Cincinnati, Columbus and elsewhere in Ohio. Ohio politicians rather finger-wag than put forth real policy Why push for policies that improve the lives of Ohioans when you can race-bait and shake your finger at political opponents at the same time? Crime is an easy target against Democratic mayors of Ohio's large cities, but it isn't the problem of only Democratic mayors of large Ohio cities. Ohio's representatives in Washington — Vance included — should be working for solutions. Ohio Gov.. Mike DeWine, a Republican, gets that complaining about an issue is no solution. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval has accepted help from the governor's that includes traffic enforcement to free up police, data analysis of where crime happens and the use of a helicopter for criminal suspect searches, and vehicle pursuit mitigation from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. It would be too much like work to push for policies that address the bevy of real problems that impact Ohio communities, big and small. Take gun violence and domestic violence, for instance. As bad as the Cincinnati fight was, no soul was lost. Gun violence is a real issue in Ohio According to Johns Hopkins University, guns were the leading cause of death among children and teens in 2022. There were 1,831 deaths that year, including 102 children. According to the report, 1,046 of those gun deaths were suicides and 738 were homicides. The prior year, there were 155 domestic violence-related homicides in Ohio. Nearly 70% were by firearm. In a press release, Moreno announced that the U.S. attorney general has launched an FBI investigation into the Cincinnati brawl, even though it was already being prosecuted in the Queen City. Wouldn't it be nice if he were as passionate about advocating for gun violence victims? For instance, where was the outrage when 17-year-old Cameron Moore was killed and five others were wounded in a mass shooting at a July 4 house party on Columbus' Southeast Side? So much more could be done to keep guns out of the wrong hands, and people want those in power to do something. Opinion: Are thugs ruining date nights in Columbus? JD Vance says so. What do you say? Poll after poll shows that Ohioans from all political persuasions overwhelmingly support gun policies like mandatory background checks, red flag laws, safe storage laws and training for concealed carry. There are solutions to gun violence but our leaders on the state and national levels do not have the will to push for them. It is easier and smarter to stoke fear. Through their statements and social media posts, they conjure images of "lawless thugs" enabled by Democratic city leaders like Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, who, according to them, lean so far to the left that they are barely upright. Pureval is considered one of the few stars in Ohio's politically weak Democratic Party. Of course, he's a target. Pureval should have jumped ahead of the scandal. Part of a mayor's responsibility is to create safe environments for people in their cities. People were hurt, and the city's reputation — at least in the short term — was damaged. That doesn't change the fact that Vance, Moreno and the rest are using it to feed fear and score points with online trolls. What's not happening in Columbus Asked about the fight during a press conference in Canton, Vance's memory has to be jogged to remember that Moreno sent him a clip of a video. He then launched into a baseless rant about lawless thugs in great American cities, ignoring the fact that violent crime is down in most Ohio cities. "How many of you all have wanted to go to downtown Akron or downtown Canton or downtown Columbus for a meal, but you're worried because the local authorities in these big cities have allowed lawlessness to run wild? We have got to make great American cities safe again for families and children," Vance said. The Cincinnati resident might as well have said, Black city thugs beat up White people trying to enjoy a night on the town. "They are ruining date night in Columbus." His assertions do not match facts. Opinion: Asking kids about guns in their homes helps save lives Murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreased by 11.6% nationally in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Aggravated assaults were down nearly 3%. There have been 45 homicides recorded in Columbus this year as of July 28, the city's lowest homicide rate in at least 12 years. Felony assault cases were half of what they were two years ago on the same date — 454 reports. One case does not make a trend The facts of the fight are far less divisive than the notion that cities are infested with criminals. During the July 26 incident in downtown Cincinnati captured on multiple cameras, a White man was pummeled by multiple Black people after an apparent verbal argument escalated. A White woman seemingly lost consciousness after being punched in the head by a Black male. Cincinnati officials should have addressed the public concerns sooner, but the crime hasn't been swept under the rug. At the writing of this column, five people have been charged in connection with the viral brawl that pushed Cincinnati into the national limelight. Two victims were treated at a hospital and released, according to Cincinnati police. Two victims treated and released won't get you reelected. Stoking the flames is sexier than simply saying "police are investigating." In a video posted to his Instagram page, Husted said the victims were beaten to nearly the "point of death" and decried efforts to defund the police. "Not only did people not intervene and help, but they actually participated in the beating of these victims," Husted said. "I called all three of them — and there may have been more. In conversations with them, they didn't understand why. I know maybe more facts will come out in this situation, but this is the point that's true: This is happening in America, across our cities, like it did in Cincinnati. It's not tolerable." It shouldn't be tolerated, but it is flatly inflammatory to claim it is a common occurrence. There is no mass outbreak of people being beaten up on the streets of America. There are real problems and real solutions. It saddens me that officials with the ability to do good won't do anything but make things worse. It is an outrage that they'd rather divide us with racist tropes than bring us together. Amelia Robinson is The Columbus Dispatch opinion editor. T This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cincinnati fight makes good race-bait for Ohio politicians | Opinion Solve the daily Crossword
a day ago
Nearly 200,000 kids play kitchens recalled after 1 reported death
Approximately 192,000 model play kitchen sets for children are being voluntarily recalled following one reported death. Backyard Kids, LLC and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall Thursday, saying the KidKraft Farm to Table Model Play Kitchen sets, manufactured by KidKraft, Inc., could pose a risk of strangulation and asphyxia if a child climbs on the toy set counter or crawls through the play set's opening in the back. The company noted that while the recall impacts 192,000 units, only 400 were actually "sold to consumers by Backyard Kids." "KidKraft, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in May 2024. Backyard Kids has agreed to a provide free replacement hooks to all consumers with affected units as a part of this recall," the company stated. According to Backyard Kids' recall announcement, children's clothing can get caught on the recalled play set's hooks, which are used to hold toy kitchen accessories "such as play pots and pans," and there is a risk of serious injury or death. Backyard Kids said a 23-month-old child reportedly died from strangulation and asphyxia after his shirt was caught on a hook on one of the KidKraft play kitchen sets in February 2023. The child had reportedly climbed and crawled through the play set's opening in the back where the toy kitchen accessories were attached and was unable to release himself. "Neither KidKraft, Inc. nor Backyard Kids have received any other reports of the hooks catching a child's garment or injuring a child," Backyard Kids stated. Recalled KidKraft Farm to Table Model Play Kitchens are black and light gray and feature countertops that look like wood. They measure 44 inches in length, 13 3/4 inches in width, and 43 inches high. The play kitchen sets, which were made in China, bear the model number 53411 on a sticker on the back. The play kitchens were intended for pretend play for children 3 years old and above. The recalled products were sold online on Amazon's and Walmart's websites, as well on KidKraft's website between 2018 and July 2025. The sets retailed between $120 and $270. Anyone with a recalled play kitchen set is advised to immediately stop using it, remove the set's original hooks and reach out to Backyard Kids for free replacement hooks. Backyard Kids can be reached via email at recall@ through the company's recall website, or via toll-free phone at (800) 882-0234 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
