CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — An elected official in Chillicothe has been exonerated of wrongdoing in a fatal accident that occurred last year.
60-year-old Jeffrey D. Creed from Chillicothe was part of a dual-car accident last summer on route 50 near Rapid Forge Road. Troopers said that Creed was stopped at a stop sign on Rapid Forge Road, intending to head east on the highway. Meanwhile, Robert O. Pegan, a 65-year-old from Hillsboro, was coming from the opposite direction on a motorcycle. An accident report from the patrol alleged that Creed failed to yield to the motorcycle by not properly stopping at the stop sign and proceeded to turn onto route 50, colliding with Pegan.
At the time of the crash, Creed was seeking election to Chillicothe City Council as an at-large member. He went on to win election in November and took office in January.
The accident resulted in Pegan losing his life, while Creed experienced minor injuries and received treatment on-site.
Creed tested negative for drugs or alcohol, showing a 0.000 reading, meaning no trace of alcohol in his blood whatsoever. Conversely, alcohol was in Pegan’s system, with a reading of .276 — that is nearly 2.5 times over the legal limit. This level of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is significantly above the legal limit for driving in Ohio, which is 0.08%. A BAC of 0.276 means that 0.276% of a person’s blood is concentrated with alcohol; anything over 0.04% is considered enough to declare one medically deceased or in a coma.
Additionally, other motorists on the road wrote statements that they observed Pegan speeding and weaving in-and-out of traffic.
The criminal charge
In October, Creed was charged by the city’s law director with a first degree misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter; a charge that could have carried six months in jail with probation.
Creed hired local attorney and retired police chief Keith Washburn to defend him and pleaded not guilty. The case was set for trial this spring. However, on Monday, the charge was dismissed after a forensic review of the accident by an expert crash reconstructionist.
The accident reconstruction, carried out by T-M Accident Reconstruction, reviewed various sources, including the Ohio Highway Patrol Crash Report, crash scene photographs, body camera videos, and more and determined Creed was not at-fault.
Investigative findings
- At the time of impact, the truck Creed was driving was traveling at approximately 11 miles per hour.
- The Harley-Davidson motorcycle was estimated to be traveling at a minimum speed of 64 to 71 miles-per-hour, well above the posted speed limit of 55.
- Witnesses reported the motorcycle was driving at a high rate of speed before the collision.
- Pegan was highly intoxicated with a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.276 grams.
- Creed was found to have no alcohol or drugs in his system.
- The reconstruction suggests that if the motorcycle had been within the legal speed limit, the accident might have been avoided.
Dismissal of the charge
The accident reconstruction report concludes that the primary cause of the collision was the combination of the motorcycle operator driving at excessive speed while intoxicated, particularly in dark conditions. As a result, Creed’s charge was dismissed.
“There are no winners as everyone involved faced not only physical trauma, but emotional trauma as well. Today, the charges against Jeffrey D. Creed were dismissed on the merits,” said Washburn in a statement on Wednesday. “Jeff is relieved that this is behind him and he can now focus on his family and serving the community.”
