The Metro bus driver charged with killing a Cincinnati road worker on the Norwood Lateral faces a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $750 fine. That's the ceiling under Ohio law for vehicular manslaughter, a second-degree misdemeanor.
Nationally, the median maximum penalty for the same offense is about one year. The average is roughly 3.5 years, according to Local 12. In neighboring Indiana, the maximum is six years and a $10,000 fine. In Kentucky, five years and $10,000.
Three fatal traffic cases in the Hyde Park and Oakley area over the past year have all landed at the misdemeanor level:
- Kyle Taylor, 33, pleaded not guilty Friday, July 24, to vehicular manslaughter in the July 16 crash that killed Jonathan Young, 46, a 24-year city road worker and father of two.
- William Luken III, 80, was charged July 9 with vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, and a traffic infraction in the May 1 Erie Avenue crash that killed 26-year-old Vespa rider Noah Patsfall.
- Deon Willis, a former Metro driver, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the 2024 crosswalk death of 87-year-old Beverly Kinney in Hyde Park. Judge Samantha Silverstein sentenced him to five years of probation, a five-year license suspension, and 1,000 hours of community service.
No jail time.
"I had to watch John take his last breath. I'm devastated. I can't sleep or nothing. But that's it. We need justice for John," co-worker Harold Watson said at Taylor's Friday, July 24, arraignment, according to Local 12's coverage.
The Cooper Elliott law firm, which represents Young's family and previously secured a $10 million settlement from SORTA over the Kinney death, has publicly criticized the state's penalty structure. In a statement at Taylor's arraignment, attorney Jeffrey Kenney said the firm is investigating Taylor's driving and hiring history and whether SORTA failed to follow through on safety commitments made in the Kinney settlement.
When Willis pleaded guilty in 2024, Cooper Elliott said Ohio law barred felony charges against him despite what the firm called an inadequate penalty for reckless driving that killed someone.
What's happening in Columbus
Three bills in the Ohio General Assembly would toughen penalties for some vehicular fatalities, according to the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission's March 2026 legislative update:
- HB 203 would raise vehicular manslaughter in active school zones to a fourth-degree felony.
- HB 132 would increase financial penalties for vehicular homicide when a driver fails to slow down or change lanes near stationary vehicles.
- HB 533, regarding vehicular homicide, was reported out of the Senate Armed Services, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee in June 2026.
None of the three bills directly addresses the general 90-day cap on vehicular manslaughter. No Ohio lawmaker has publicly called for a specific bill raising that cap in response to the Taylor case.
What's next
Taylor is on paid administrative leave from Metro and prohibited from driving as a bond condition. His next court date has not been publicly confirmed. The Cooper Elliott firm said it is investigating whether SORTA kept its commitments on driver hiring and training reforms.
