A North Baltimore man has been indicted by the Wood County Grand Jury after he reportedly struck a school bus with students on board, according to Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson.
Aaron Hilt was indicted on 13 counts of aggravated vehicular assault, two counts of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and one count of vandalism
It is alleged that Hilt was intoxicated on Sept. 7 when he struck the rear end of an Arlington School District school bus on Interstate 75 near North Baltimore. The bus was filled with 39 students and faculty returning home from a junior high school football game when it was struck.
According to reports, while Hilt’s vehicle careened off I-75, through a fence, and came to rest on a side road, the school bus driver was able to bring the bus to a controlled stop. Several students and staff went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Each aggravated vehicular assault is an upper-tier felony of the third degree, carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Vandalism is a felony of the fifth degree with a maximum penalty of one year in prison. The operating a motor vehicle under the influence charges are each misdemeanors of the first degree.
If Hilt is convicted of all offenses, he faces a maximum penalty of 66 years in prison. Under Ohio law, sentences on misdemeanors cannot run consecutively to sentences for felonies.
Hilt has posted a $50,000 bond. His case has been assigned to Wood County Common Pleas Court Judge Mary “Molly” L. Mack. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 2.
