UPDATE @3:43 p.m., March 31:
Ladarius V. Hawkins, 28, of Middletown, will appear at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Middletown Municipal Court, according to records.
Hawkins is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under suspension, operating a vehicle while impaired and drug abuse following a two-vehicle accident that killed 78-year-old Roger Lohman, of Middletown.
INITIAL REPORT @ 2:43 p.m., March 30:
A driver is dead and his passenger has life-threatening injuries after their car was struck by a motorist who allegedly ran a red light Saturday morning in Middletown, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Roger Lohman, 78, of Middletown, was pronounced dead at the scene, and his passenger, Norma Lohman, was taken to Atrium Medical Center and then transferred to Miami Valley Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to a release.
The preliminary investigation revealed a 2004 Pontiac Bonneville, driven by Ladarius V. Hawkins, 28, of Middletown, was northbound on Dixie Highway when he failed to yield to a red light and struck the 2009 Honda CR-V driven by Lohman at 8:20 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Dixie and Manchester Road.
Hawkins was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under suspension, OVI and drug abuse, according to Middletown police. He was in the Middletown City Jail Saturday, according to records.
The CR-V drove off the right side of road and struck a ditch, the state patrol said. The 2004 Pontiac Bonneville came to rest in the roadway.
All three were wearing their seat belts, and Hawkins was not injured in the crash.
Alcohol and/or drugs are suspected to be a contributing factor in the crash, according to the patrol. The crash remains under investigation by the patrol’s Lebanon Post.