Records: Ohio man in crash that killed 5 threatened to kill self

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Police records show that a driver had threatened to kill himself before prior to a wrong-way car crash that killed five, including himself, in southwest Ohio.

Dayton police records obtained Monday by The Dayton Daily News show that 61-year-old James Pohlabeln’s former wife said in November that the Dayton man had sent her text messages saying he wanted police to kill him after the death of his brother.

Pohlabeln’s vehicle collided head-on with a sport utility vehicle early Saturday morning on Interstate 75 in Dayton, killing Kyle Canter, Earl Miller II, Vashti Brown and Devin Bachmann.

Records show Pohlabeln had a suspended license after his vehicle hit a parked car in Dayton early Thursday morning. He was then arrested on a suspected drunken-driving charge.