Hamilton driver admits guilt in pedestrian strike that killed teen

A Hamilton man who struck two pedestrians with his truck, killing one, has admitted guilt in the crash.

Steven James Rogers, 59, who has been in the Butler County Jail since the fatal crash on Nov. 9, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

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Six other charges related to the incident were dismissed: aggravated possession of drugs, operating a vehicle under the influence, operation of a motor vehicle under points suspension, failure to stop after an accident, operating a vehicle under the influence of methamphetamine, and operating a vehicle under the influence of cocaine metabolite.

Sentencing was set for May 24 by Judge Keith Spaeth. Rogers faces a total of 13 years in prison.

Three people — a man pushing a baby in a stroller and two women, including 18-year-old Allison Reyes Castillo — were walking west across the 500 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard at about 7:45 p.m. Nov. 9 when both women were hit in the southbound lane, according to police.

Reyes Castillo died a short time later at Fort Hamilton Hospital. The other female pedestrian, Ann Marie Wagers, 38, was transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treatment.

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While officers were at the crash scene, dispatchers received a call about a red truck pulled over near Pershing Avenue with heavy damage.

Rogers was in possession of methamphetamine and suboxone strips at the time of the crash, according to police.

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