WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — A 19-year-old was handed a three-year prison term on Monday in Fayette County after admitting guilt to an elevated charge of vehicular homicide and a lesser charge related to the same incident in the death of a Chillicothe man.
The court had initially set Monday for Jaedamae Geiger’s final pretrial hearing. However, the change came when Geiger chose to enter a plea of guilt before Judge David Bender at the Fayette County Common Pleas Court.
The incident, which happened on April 30, involved Geiger — who is from Zanesville — purportedly ignoring a stop sign on Jamison Road, driving her 2010 Dodge Charger. As a result, she collided with a 2010 Mazda 3, progressing west on US Route 22.
The unfortunate event resulted in the death of the Mazda driver, David Pence Jr., a 58-year-old from Chillicothe. As recounted by the Wilmington Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the impact forced both cars off the northern side of US 22. Tragically, Pence Jr. was declared deceased at the collision site. Geiger and her co-passenger, 18-year-old Amber McNutt, also from Zanesville, sustained injuries and were taken to Adena Fayette Medical Center.
Following an indictment on July 14, charges against Geiger included a first-degree misdemeanor for vehicular homicide and a third-degree felony for aggravated vehicular homicide. The indictment emphasized Geiger’s alleged reckless actions leading to Pence Jr.’s death.
The court recognized Geiger’s 66-day stay in Fayette County Jail, counting it as time served. She will be sent to serve her time in the Marysville female prison.
The Ohio Department of Transportation announced in the spring after the crash that a roundabout would be placed at the intersection next year.