Man gets 9 years for striking, killing Cortland woman in 2016

WARREN — Russell G. Lauer III, 44, of state Route 5 in Cortland apologized before he received a nine-year prison sentence Monday for hitting and killing a young woman along side of Ridge Road in Fowler Township Feb. 27, 2016.

VIDEO: Lauer sentenced striking, killing Cortland woman in 2016

Lauer received his punishment Monday after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, failing to stop after an accident and failing to drive in marked lanes.

Lauer killed Brittany Szwedko, 28, of Cortland, who died two days after the accident. Szwedko was walking or jogging on the side of Ridge Road when Lauer’s vehicle left the roadway and hit her.

Szwedko had worked 10 years in the public-relations department of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library. She was an avid runner and was preparing to run in a half marathon.

Court documents say Lauer’s car was traveling northbound on Ridge Road at 12:30 p.m. when it left the roadway and struck Szwedko beside the road. Lauer’s blood-alcohol level was measured at just below the 0.08 limit for intoxication under Ohio law. Officials have said Lauer had an illegal amount of OxyContin in his system.

Ricky L. Bryant Jr. of Vienna was a passenger in a car driven by his wife when they saw Lauer’s car “swerving and leaving the roadway” before hitting Szwedko, police said.

Bryant told his wife to stop at the accident scene, where he flagged down a passing motorist to call 911 and stay with Szwedko. Then he and his wife drove in pursuit of Lauer, police said.

When they caught up to Lauer, Bryant forced him to stop at an intersection and yelled at Lauer, telling him he had just hit someone.

“Yeah, I know. Move,” Lauer reportedly told Bryant.

Szwedko's family organized a run in her memory last year that raised more than $20,000.

The run will take place again this year at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at Austintown Township Park on Kirk Road. It’s called the Brittany Szwedko Memorial 5K Run and Dog Walk.