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14 years prison for teen bicyclist’s death

Donald White

LISBON — Judge Megan Bickerton expressed her sympathies to the family of Aidan Wollman, then delivered justice for the teen, sentencing the man responsible for his Oct. 23, 2021 death to a mandatory 14 years in prison.

“You had a total disregard for the loss of this child’s life,” she told Donald E. White.

The jury trial in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court against White, 65, state Route 164, Salineville, ended Thursday with guilty verdicts on all counts and immediate sentencing. The jury of five women and seven men deliberated for just under two hours before reaching their unanimous decision.

“This case was especially tragic because it was preventable. The family will never be the same, but we are all thankful that accountability and justice were served, at least to some degree,” county Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino said.

County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Weikart thanked the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other agencies involved in the investigation, noting that some troopers came from the Warren district and Ravenna posts, along with the troopers from the Lisbon post. The county sheriff’s office, Leetonia EMS and the county coroner’s office also assisted, along with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Weikart also thanked his trial partner, county Assistant Prosecutor Steve Yacovone.

He called White one of the coldest defendants he had ever seen and said he sends his prayers out to the Wollman family, noting this was a tough, emotional case.

“I hope they can find solace in that the trial phase is behind them,” Weikart said.

The jury found White guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, two charges of failure to stop after an accident, one a second-degree felony and one a third-degree felony, and possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony.

Bickerton sentenced White to eight to 12 years on the second-degree felony failure to stop charge, 60 months on the homicide charge and 12 months on the cocaine possession. The other failure to stop charge was merged into the first one for sentencing. She ordered the terms served consecutively, for a mandatory 14 years, with the possibility of an additional four years if the parole board chooses, meaning the sentence could stretch to a possible 18 years. His license was suspended for life.

The aggravated vehicular homicide charge alleged that White caused the death of Aidan Wollman by

driving recklessly, an element Yacovone said was proven multiple ways when he gave his closing arguments, including testimony that the truck crossed over the fog line, which is the white line at the edge of the highway. The accident occurred on state Route 164, just south of Beeson Mill Road, outside Columbiana.

For the second-degree felony failure to stop charge, a key element is the fact that the defendant knew the accident resulted in the death of a person.

Yacovone said that element can be proven by showing that a person is aware their conduct will probably cause a certain result. In this case, hitting a 13-year-old boy on a bike with a 1987 Chevy Silverado is probably going to cause a certain result and it did, the death of the boy.

“This defendant absolutely, unequivocally knew what he did,” Yacovone said, asking the jury to consider White’s actions after the accident.

He didn’t stop, he went faster to get out of there, never hit his brakes, abandoned his vehicle, and lied multiple times to troopers, first saying he didn’t know where his truck was, then that he hit a mailbox and as recent as last week saying someone else ran over the child, he just ran over the bike.

For the third-degree felony leaving the scene, the elements met included that White kept going, he didn’t notify police, he later admitted he hit something and left, the victim was incapacitated and the crash resulted in the death of Aidan Wollman. The cocaine from the possession charge was found in White’s bedroom and he admitted during a recorded conversation that he did drugs after the accident.

“He’s done nothing since Oct. 23, 2021 except lie and try to squirm his way out of this. He can’t lie his way out of the facts,” Yacovone said during closing.

The jury agreed, delivering the guilty verdicts and finding that White knew his actions caused the death of a person and also a separate finding that the accident resulted in a death.

Defense attorney James Wise called no witnesses after the state rested its case Thursday morning. When told by the judge about his right to testify, White said his attorney advised him not to. The judge denied defense motions for an acquittal and a renewed request for a lesser included offense of vehicular homicide. Wise also gave no closing argument.

The day had begun with testimony by forensic pathologist Dr. Erica Armstrong, who performed the autopsy at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. She was ruled an expert witness and reviewed her findings, describing the injuries to Aidan and concluding his cause of death was blunt force injuries.

During sentencing, after the jury was excused and thanked, Weikart asked for the maximum sentence, citing White’s “unconscionable” actions in trying to cover up his involvement, his “egregious” traffic record which includes 36 citations, with a leaving the scene charge in 2010 and failure to control charges in 2018 and 2021, his total lack of remorse and his actions in the courtroom when he stared down Aidan’s family.

Aidan’s mother and father, Jerry and Melissa Wollman, both addressed the court, with Melissa saying that the defendant “took every moment of joy from our lives.” She talked about her son, how he was smart, charismatic and a great friend to anyone he met. He had his whole life in front of him and the defendant took that away and took the youngest member of their family. She said the defendant should not have been behind the wheel, had no remorse and showed no mercy to anyone he encountered that night.

She acknowledged that any sentence won’t bring her child back, but said “at least it will keep him from killing anyone else.”

Jerry told the judge there was no way anyone will stop the defendant from driving unless he’s behind bars. “When he is behind bars, he cannot do this to another family,” he said.

White stood up and apologized to the family for the tragic accident that happened, saying “I know I made a mistake when I left the scene. I honestly didn’t know I hit a child.”

He said he didn’t deliberately do it and that his mistake was leaving the scene, repeating that he didn’t know there was a child hit, then adding “I ask for forgiveness and I pray that the family will heal.”

Bickerton told him she sat through all the testimony and evidence and said his apology didn’t line up with his actions. She said he knew what he did and there was nobody she felt more for in the courtroom than Aidan’s family.

“They had to sit here and relive it because you wouldn’t take responsibility for it,” she said.

Bickerton advised White of his right to appeal and Wise indicated the case may be appealed.

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