Jeremy Ault, a trooper who was with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, pleaded guilty today in Clermont County Common Pleas Court in the death of 36-year-old Anthony Bertram, of Goshen.
Ault, 27, of Williamsburg, hit Anthony head-on while responding to a call and driving southbound on state Route 222 near the intersection of Diana Avenue in Batavia, Jan. 4, 2019.
The posted speed limit in the area is 35 mph; Ault was driving at 55 mph, and Anthony was driving at 25 mph.
The roadway wasn’t lit, and it was wet from rain, according to the crash report.
Anthony was killed in the crash; Ault was injured.
Both men were wearing their seat belts.
Ault, who had been a state trooper for two years, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and vehicle homicide, both misdemeanors on May 1.
Trina and Bill Bertram, parents of Anthony, visited the roadside memorial that they maintain at the site where he was killed after a prior hearing on July 26.
Trina described the emotional toll that the crash has taken.
“It’s very hard,” Trina told The Sun. “It’s hard for all of us, for everybody that’s involved. None of us asked to be here; it’s just a situation that gets thrown at you and you have to deal with it the best way that you can. You just try to keep a sane mind, and it’s really hard.”
Sentencing is set for Sept. 20 before Judge Richard Ferenc.
The Sun will have more on this development in next week’s issue of the paper.