Man accused of killing jogger jailed after hearing

CORTLAND

Russell G. Lauer III kept his head down through most of his hearing Wednesday as his attorney entered not-guilty pleas to aggravated vehicular homicide and other offenses in the hit-and-run death of a young woman jogging on Ridge Road.

Brittany Szwedko, 27, of Cortland died Tuesday after being struck as she jogged Saturday afternoon. Witnesses followed the car that hit her until catching up to Lauer at Ridge Road and Bradley Brownlee Road, where he was taken into custody by Fowler Township police.

The witnesses said Szwedko, a public-relations employee of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, was off the road when she was struck, and Lauer’s car was “swerving and leaving the roadway” before it struck her.

Lauer, 43, of state Route 5, also is charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident, drunken driving and a driving-lanes violation. He returns to court at 9 a.m. Monday for his next hearing.

Judge Thomas Campbell of Central District Court set bond at $215,000 and ordered that Lauer be confined to his home with electronic monitoring if he is able to make bond.

He also would be prohibited from driving a motor vehicle, Judge Campell said.

Mike Burnett, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, said Lauer has two previous drunken-driving convictions, a previous charge of wreckless operation, seven prior driving suspensions, two previous traffic crashes “and has shown his willingness to flee the scene.”

Read more about the case in Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.