Prosecutors are recommending that an Austintown man receive a six-year prison term when he is sentenced on March 14 for running down a woman as she walked her dog in the township.

Fifty-year-old James Stehura appeared before Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony D’Onofrio on Monday and pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and failing to stop after an accident in connection with the March 11, 2024, crash that resulted in the death of 66-year-old Linda Adams, who was walking her dog on Lancaster Drive near Carlisle Avenue in Austintown. Charges of reckless homicide and tampering with evidence were dismissed as part of a plea deal.

Prosecutors also recommend a ten-year driver's license suspension for Stehura.

Police who gathered evidence at the crash site reported finding broken headlight pieces with a vehicle-part ID number linked to Stehura’s truck, which was registered at an address less than half a mile away.

Authorities believe Stehura attempted to conceal the damaged truck by hiding it in a garage.

The truck Stehura was allegedly driving at the time of the incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera.

 

 

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