Charges not filed in fatal cop crash

It’s impossible to fully evaluate the situation without a speed estimate, the prosecutor said.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — No charges will be filed against the truck driver involved in the fatal crash with a car driven by a police officer in June, the city prosecutor said.

Detective Sgt. Robert Deichman’s blood-alcohol concentration was nearly double the legal limit when he drove an unmarked police car into the side of a semitractor-trailer and died around 3:20 a.m. June 19.

Deichman, 40, had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.158. The legal limit is 0.08.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was called in to investigate the crash that took place in front of Zorro Trucking, 2755 Salt Springs Road. Deichman, traveling in the eastbound lane in a 2003 Ford Taurus, hit the side of the truck trailer that had pulled into the roadway to travel westbound. The posted speed is 35 mph.

The truck driver, David J. Feliciano, 38, of Berlin Center, was not injured.

The Taurus’ Restraint Control Module, located under the driver’s seat, was sent to the Ford Motor Co. for testing, said Lt. Chris Heverly, commander at the patrol’s Canfield post. Among the data investigators sought was a speed estimate.

City Prosecutor Jay Macejko said Monday that Ford agreed to analyze the module to determine if it recorded any data at the moment of impact. It was submitted as a last-ditch effort after traditional methods of crash reconstruction failed, he said.

The module recorded no data, the prosecutor said. He said the report from Ford was sent to the patrol a short time ago and the results forwarded to him for final review.

“Without the actual or estimated speed of Deichman’s vehicle, it is impossible to fully evaluate the situation to determine if criminal charges are warranted,” Macejko said. “At this time, I consider this matter closed.”

He said no charges will be filed against Feliciano.

“The city’s appreciation goes out to OSP and Ford for their assistance,” Macejko said. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Deichman family and YPD for their loss.”

Deichman’s wife and their two daughters live in Struthers.

Deichman, who was not wearing his safety belt, was dead at the crash scene. The point of impact was one-half mile from his apartment on Tyrell Avenue.

The truck driver told investigators that he first noticed the car when it was somewhere between two business signs west of Zorro Trucking. The investigators, using two state cruisers, determined the point of possible perception of a vehicle traveling toward Zorro Trucking was 1,811 feet.

The pavement at the time of the crash was dry and clear of debris. The crash sight is not directly lighted but there are several lighted signs and parking lots nearby making the area fairly well illuminated, the patrol said.

The crash report lists contributing circumstances as the truck driver’s failure to yield. Under “condition,” it lists the driver as normal and Deichman as under the influence of alcohol.

Deichman, a nine-year veteran, had been assigned to the Accident Investigation Unit. At the time of the crash, he was off duty but on call — expected to respond in the event of an accident that would require him to investigate.