Ohio man pleads not guilty to recording fatal accident scene

LORAIN, Ohio (AP) — A northeast Ohio man has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge after posting online a cellphone video of a grisly car crash that killed a 17-year-old passenger and critically injured the 17-year-old driver.

Forty-one-year-old Paul Pelton of Lorain entered the plea to vehicle trespassing today in Lorain Municipal Court. He is accused of using his cellphone to record a one-car accident July 13 in Lorain that occurred after the vehicle went airborne while crossing railroad tracks and crashed into a house. Police say Pelton is heard calling the teenage boys “idiots” as others tried to help them.

Police say the charge stems from Pelton opening a car door on the wrecked vehicle while recording.

His attorney says Pelton shouldn’t have been charged and will be vindicated.