Guilty plea in 2nd fatal crash

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- A man has pleaded guilty to an aggravated vehicular homicide charge in what authorities say was his second fatal accident while driving drunk in five weeks.
Jonathon Buckler, 22, of Amanda, could get up 10 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday in Pickaway County in the death of a friend, Brandy Schein, 22. No date has been set for sentencing.
She died five weeks after Steven E. Willet, 22, was killed in an accident in August 2003 in neighboring Fairfield County. Buckler is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and is accused of driving drunk when his vehicle crashed and Willet, a co-worker, was ejected, authorities said.
His license was suspended after that crash.
In the second case, Buckler's blood alcohol level was 0.172 percent, above the legal limit of 0.10 percent at the time, authorities said.
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Assistant Pickaway County Prosecutor William Archer said he has never encountered a case in which someone is accused of driving drunk in separate fatal accidents.
"That's probably why it's so egregious," he said. "It seems there was no affect from the first accident."
J. Tullis Roger, Buckler's attorney, said Buckler is in rehab while in jail.
"This is a sick person, not a necessarily bad person," he said. "Although bad things happen -- horrible things."
Rogers said Buckler was drunk and on prescribed drugs at the time of the crash in Fairfield County. He said Buckler blacked out and does not remember if he was driving.
He has asked prosecutors in both counties to negotiate so that neither case goes to trial.
Circleville is about 30 miles south of Columbus.