I-TEAM: Man sentenced for crash that killed newborn in Greene County

XENIA — The man involved in a crash that killed a newborn and injured six others in Greene County has received his sentence.

News Center 7′s John Bedell talked exclusively with the surviving family members after the sentencing in an emotional interview you will only see on News Center 7 at 5:30 p.m.

Samuel Lawson, 33, was sentenced to 15 to 19 years in prison. He is also ordered to pay $37,618 in restitution to the victims and the cost of prosecution.

>> Previous Coverage: I-TEAM: Man pleads guilty to causing crash that killed newborn in Greene County

Lawson was convicted by his plea deal on one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, four counts of aggravated vehicular assault, and one count of OVI.

Lawson was previously accused of causing a three-vehicle crash in an active construction zone on Interstate 675 in Sugarcreek Township in May 2021. As News Center 7 previously reported, his blood-alcohol level was four times the legal limit when he crashed his SUV into a minivan.

>> Previous Coverage: I-Team: Family of newborn killed in I-675 crash questions why it took 8 months to charge suspect

The collision sent the minivan into another car on the highway, according to a crash report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Faye White, a 4-week-old passenger of the minivan, died from injuries sustained in the crash.

Faye White was in the minivan with her family. News Center 7′s I-Team previously spoke to her parents, Dylan and Kristen White, in November 2021. They wanted to know why no charges had been filed six months after the crash that killed their baby and left their oldest, Emma, with lifelong disabilities.

Lawson has been in jail since a grand jury indicted him in February 2022.

The most powerful moment on Wednesday came without anyone speaking a word.

The court was silent except for the sound of people crying and sniffling as one-by-one prosecutors showed pictures of baby Faye, her family, and their stay in the hospital after the crash.

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Even the judge wiped tears from his eyes before he sentenced Lawson.

“These are tough cases. This is a tragedy all the way around,” Said Greene County Common Please Judge Adolfo Tornichio.

In addition to 15 to 19 years in prison and having to pay the cost of prosecution, Lawson’s driver’s license is suspended for life.

“I thought I would feel relief, but I don’t,” Dylan said. “There’s a small amount of justice in it, but it doesn’t do what I thought it would do for me.”

Dylan and Kristen said they now plan to advocate for stiffer penalties for OVI and vehicular homicide in Ohio.

For the first time, they told News Center 7 that before they took baby Faye off life support, they made her an organ donor.

She saved two lives with the family’s decision. Kristen White said Faye was a “hero.”

The White family also gave an update on trying to get a service dog for Emma that will help her with the lifelong disabilities she suffered because of the crash.

News Center 7 reported in January that the family was raising money for the service animal.

The Whites said in an update that a dog has been selected for Emma and right now is getting training for her specific needs.

They have not met the dog yet, but they hope to have it join their family sometime in the spring.

We will continue updating this story.