TRUMBULL CO. Driver guilty of homicide

By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A man who caused a fatal traffic crash has pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular assault.
Fred R. Brinsky Jr., 44, of N. Lakeview Avenue, Niles, entered the pleas Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Judge John Stuard said Brinsky will be sentenced after a background check by the county probation department.
Atty. Ken Bailey, an assistant prosecutor, said Brinsky was driving on Salt Springs Road around 9:40 p.m. May 19 when he went left of center and struck a car driven by Taylor L. Veisz, 19, of Youngstown.
Veisz, who was on her way to a birthday party, died a few hours after the crash, Bailey said.
Brinsky could receive up to eight years in prison. Bailey, however, said he will recommend a three-year sentence.
Brinsky declined comment at Thursday's hearing. Veisz relatives who attended the hearing also declined to comment.
Bailey noted that a passenger in Brinsky's vehicle, Scott Ritchie, 28, of Youngstown, was also injured in the crash and spent several days in the hospital.
"Mr. Brinksy had been drinking beer," Bailey said. "He told officials after the crash that he had been drinking."
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported that beer cans fell out of Brinsky's vehicle after the crash.
Bailey noted that Brinsky's blood-alcohol level was 0.28. The legal limit is 0.10.